Seeker
by Aelan-the-Guide
Summary: A tale of mischief, heartache and dragons. This is Seeker, a human turned dragon, thrown into a new and exciting world. Rated M for graphic descriptions, blood and cursing.
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings everyone.**

**Welcome to Seeker, a tale of sorrow, mischief, adventure, hope, despair, hatred… and love. With a bit of fun thrown in now and again.**

**Something I need to make mention of before you delve into the chapter. For starters, this story will be rated M for a reason. There will be blood and crude language. If that offends you, I apologize. I'm a lowly Grunt after all, and about the only things we know are cursing and bleeding. This chapter is going to be toned down slightly in descriptions, but just bear that in mind as the story progresses.**

**(My Beta tells me that I talk too much in AN's, so I sincerely apologize for that. It's rather difficult to stop myself from flowing from one topic to another, and the result is... well, exactly what just happened. Damn.)**

**That said, welcome to Seeker! Sit back, kick off your boots, relax and enjoy! Let me know your thoughts, good and bad. I'll see you at the closing AN.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own How to Train Your Dragon or any of their characters portrayed in this story. I do, however, own this story and the OC's that have been included in it.**

* * *

**Leitand (Prologue)**

**Chapter 1**

There was nothing. No light, no sound, no sensation… no pain. _I thought there would be pain, _it spoke, though nothing was heard. Only then did it notice that it had no body. It simply was, and yet was not. It thought it should feel sad about that, but it felt nothing. It _was _nothing.

_And yet…_

It _felt. _It felt a sudden desire to be, a desire to have sensation, to have touch, taste, sight, sound… and pain. It wanted to live. No, it _needed _to live. Nothing would not suffice, it needed to _be_. The drive it felt to simply exist outweighed anything it knew or experienced during its timeless existence.

_So be it._

And so it was. _He_ was.

**(-)**

The first thing he was aware of, was that of the gentle breeze upon his back. A happy smile found its way onto his face, and he let out a satisfied groan. It felt good to feel the wind. Sensation means living, after all. For a moment, that was all he did; lay there and feel the wind on his back. Much preferable to his last location, even if the breeze tugged at his body weirdly.

_Wait, _he thought, slowly opening his eyes. _Where was my last location? _Casting his mind back, he tried to decipher his memories. However, he eventually gave up when he found that he couldn't. It felt as though he was right on the cusp of remembering, but something was preventing him. He let out an irritated growl.

His eyes widened, and he leapt to his feet. _Did I just growl? _he asked himself. That was new. Humans didn't growl, or at least not like that. He reached a hand towards his throat, before promptly falling on his face. For a time, he didn't move, his mind trying to process what had just happened. Slowly, he stood up again, now realizing the pressure of the ground beneath him was not limited to just his feet. He could feel it under his hands as well.

Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes and pointed his head towards the ground right at his feet. Slowly, he raised his eyelids to look, raising them faster as soon as his mind processed what he was seeing. He had _paws_. Not hands, paws. Experimentally, he tried to move his right index finger. Sure enough, the corresponding digit moved on his right front paw. _Well, that proves its mine._

He studied his paws closely, noticing them to be covered in dark, smooth scales. They certainly didn't have the same range of motion as his hands, but they did boast a set of nice and pointy claws. _Hmm._

Making sure to properly balance himself on three limbs, he raised his right paw again and tentatively placed his index claw against his shoulder, which he saw to also be covered in scales. He poked himself, eye's widening as he realized he felt it clearly, and knew it to be sharp, but it did not hurt. He poked himself again, a little harder this time. Then a third time. On his fourth attempt, he decided to see how fast he could move his paw. Scarcely a second later, he let out a yowl of pain and surprise.

"Okay, that was stupid of me," he groaned, licking his bleeding shoulder reflexively. Soon after, the pain began to fade. He paused his actions mid lick, blinking confusedly. The bleeding had stopped, though there was still a very clear mark on his shoulder where the wound was. _Why was I licking my shoulder?_

A new thought occurred to him as he moved his tongue back into his mouth. _It really doesn't even hurt! _Eager to test his new theory, he quickly drew his claws down his shoulder, below the first mark. A screech escaped him once more, and he quickly began to lick his new wounds, sighing as the pain faded, though it still throbbed at him angrily. He didn't blame it.

"That's enough of _that _line of experimentation," he muttered, shaking his head. Turning his head, he cast his gaze down the rest of his body. He paused as he caught sight of two black wings jutting awkwardly from his back. "Whoa."

Suddenly he realized why the breeze was tugging at him so weirdly. It was blowing against completely new limbs! Even now he could feel the air around them, nice and cool against the leathery skin. Following that feeling towards his back, he felt new muscles where the wings connected to the rest of his body. Curious, he flexed them, watching how both of his wings raised higher into the air. Testing a similar set of muscles on his sides, just below the base of the wings, he watched as his wings came down.

He spent the next few minutes familiarizing himself with his newfound extremities, before attempting to bring them in towards his body. A smile grew on his face once more as his wings neatly tucked themselves against his body. That was when he saw his tail, and the fins on it, and was lost in discovery once again. Soon though, he felt a familiar pain deep inside of him, which he recognized to be hunger. For the first time since his waking up, he took in his surroundings.

He stood in a small clearing, around which a forest extended for as far as he could see, which admittedly wasn't very far. There were too many trees in the way, and his view was very low to the ground. The sky above him was clear and blue, with a few clouds lazing around in it. Turning his attention back towards the forest, a new thought occurred to him. He carefully made his way towards the closest tree, frowning as he approached it.

Either the tree was incredibly large, or he was very small. _Great, I'm no longer human and I'm also a midget. A midget… reptile? Winged snake? Wait, I have legs, can't be a snake. That wouldn't be nearly as cool. What sort of reptile has wings?!_

The answer came to him shortly, and he slammed his head into the tree in response to his own stupidity. _I'm a fucking dragon! _he thought through his sudden headache. He was filled with excitement at the idea and shook his head to try and ease it. It didn't work, but he was too excited to pay it any mind. Soon, he was bounding through the clearing, unable to help himself.

_I'm a dragon! I'm a midget dra-… damnit._

"Well," he sighed, coming to a stop. "Nothing I can do about my size. Besides, wings make up for it."

His stomach let its plight be known once more, and he reflexively clutched at it. _I need to do something about that,_ he thought. He cast his gaze about once more, noticing that there seemed to be a lot more color to the world that last he knew it. _Then again, I was colorblind._

That made him pause. _How do I know that, yet I don't know my name? _He decided against wasting time thinking on the subject, concentrating on the matter at hand. Knowing he would have to hunt for his food, he looked around once more, breathing deeply. His eyes widened once more, before he closed them, concentrating on what he could hear and smell.

It was a lot more than he had ever thought possible. He could smell so many things, and his brain automatically applied the scents to certain objects he recognized. He could smell the trees, the grass, the pile of fish, the dirt and, strangely, what smelt like water. _Water has a scent?_

He blinked open his eyes once more and whipped his body around to stare at something he had smelled. There, piled at the edge of the clearing, was fish! _Food! _He eagerly bounded towards it, surprised at how natural the movement came to him. As he approached, his eagerness slowly abated. How did he eat it? Turning his attention to his mouth, he was surprised to find that he had no teeth. _I'm a gummy, midget dragon. _The thought definitely put a damper on things. His new body must be incredibly old.

Sensing some new muscles in his gums, he curiously tensed them. He let out another yowl of pain and laid down, jamming a paw in his mouth to clutch his now bleeding tongue. _Well, _he thought dumbly. _I do, in fact, have teeth. Very sharp teeth._

He hadn't been aware that his tongue had been sticking out of his mouth in concentration, and when his teeth appeared from within his gums… _I'm lucky I didn't just bite my tongue off._

The pain eventually went away, and he removed his paw from his mouth with a soft sigh. Well, he had teeth. But they didn't seem like they would be good for chewing anything. If anything, they would help him break his food into manageable mouthfuls. _Snakes swallow their prey whole… so maybe dragons do as well? _It certainly made sense.

Tentatively, he moved his nose closer towards the pile, noticing that they were all relatively small. He could easily swallow them whole, though he also noticed that they were raw. _Well, no chewing means no tasting, right? _Steeling himself, he unsheathed his teeth and grabbed a smaller fish by its tail. _No, can't really taste anything. _He narrowed his eyes in concentration, and quickly flipped his head up, throwing the fish high into the air. Closing his eyes, he opened his mouth as wide as he could, waiting for the fish to land in it.

A short moment later, he opened his eyes as he felt the fish hit the center of his face, before slowly sliding off of his nose and towards the ground. Darting his head towards the side, he caught the small fish in his mouth and jerked his head back. A satisfied feeling came over him as it slid down his throat, and he smiled once more.

After devouring what fish he could from the pile, he laid on his back and rubbed his now full stomach. A purr sounded from his body, though by now he wasn't quite as surprised. After almost biting off his tongue via seemingly nonexistent teeth, purring like a cat seemed relatively tame. He closed his eyes and rolled onto his side, curling his tail towards his head. _A quick nap then, _he decided, still purring as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

When he awoke again, he found that the pile of fish had been restocked. While certainly welcome, he had to admit that he was a little surprised, and cautious. Obviously someone, or something, was keeping him fed. But who? He realized that he had no idea how dragon families worked. Did they abandon their young? Or did they seemingly abandon them just to see how well they might survive? And how were they produced? Eggs? They were reptiles, so that was plausible. Then again, he knew of some snakes that reproduced with live births.

But he had had neither. He just appeared, seemingly out of thin air. So… did he even have parents? Well, if he did and they weren't showing themselves to him, he didn't respect them at all. However, he was used to being alone. A soft sigh escaped him as he rose to his paws. _Why do I only recall depressing information?_

He sat quietly for a moment, staring up at the sky and simply listening. It was remarkable what he could hear now. Even before he'd lost most of his hearing during his previous existence, he knew no human would be capable of hearing what he now could. He snorted, shaking his head. "I was colorblind and partially deaf. Any other defects I had?" he asked aloud, chuckling.

His amusement died almost as quickly as it had started. _Alone. _He had always been alone, even when there were others around him. While he didn't know why, he just knew it to be the truth. "No matter," he sighed. "I refuse to be depressed! Though a little company would be nice."

After some time, he felt a familiar and yet foreign feeling, one that intrigued and worried him. _How the hell do I relieve myself? _A quick trip through the forest had him both intrigued and a little disgusted. Sometimes it positively _stank _to have a strong sense of smell.

The next big obstacle was something that he hadn't anticipated. Purpose. He was alive, he was relatively happy, yet he had _nothing _to do! Or at least, nothing yet. For the moment though, he was bored. "Well, I suppose I should… exercise? No. Well, maybe yes actually," he mused, tilting his head. He knew he should get better accustomed to his new body. While he didn't have much to be physically proud of as a human, he knew he was always proud of his control over his body.

That thought in mind, he began to develop a set of exercises designed to make him use all his newfound muscles and limbs. To start with, he began to run at a steady pace around the clearing, making sure to use every one of his four legs. While at first it proved to be challenging, and bounding to be infinitely easier, he decided it would be worth it in the long run. Eventually, he noticed that each leg felt much looser. He was also not stumbling quite as much as he had when he first started the exercise.

Running as he was proved to be tiring, though not as it had when he was a human. It seemed that dragons had much more natural stamina, which brought a smile to him. After what seemed to be hours of running, he noticed that he wasn't sweating, though he did have his mouth open and was quite obviously salivating. _I guess that I sweat through my mouth. Like a dog? Not the strangest thing I suppose._

Before he tired himself out too much, he stopped and began to work on his next exercise: flapping his wings and waving his tail around in a every which way as he did so. As he started the process, he looked back over his body to stare at his wings and tail. _I look like I'm dancing, _he thought with amusement, watching his rear bounce around with the movement of his tail. _Hopefully no one is around to witness this particular activity._

He knew he looked ridiculous, but he also knew that if such actions brought him more stability and confidence in his body, it would be worth it. He kept up his actions for some time, but eventually his hind legs began to ache from keeping up with his moving tail. Ceasing his tail movements, he began to focus more on his wings. Those didn't hurt as much as they should have. At least, not in his opinion. That thought in mind, he moved his wings faster, changing the directions that they moved so that it wasn't straight up and down.

Finally, after quite a long time by his standards, his wings began to ache just as much as the rest of his body. Deciding that that was enough, he tucked his wings in and began to bound around the clearing once more, though not pushing himself very fast. He stretched out his wings and tail as he did so, using the movement as a cooldown from his 'workout'.

He slowed his movements and stilled his tail, moving towards the pile of fish once more. After tucking his wings snugly against his body once more, he reached his head down to smell around the pile. Not smelling anything other than the fish, dirt, grass and trees, he sighed and picked out a fish. _A magic pile of fish. Like an all you can eat buffet, but more mysterious and less cooked. Well, in most cases. I'm fairly sure I've had bad experiences with buffets before._

The thought amused him as he tossed the fish into the air, keeping his eyes on it this time. It landed neatly in his mouth, almost causing him to choke as it hit the back of his throat. He quickly swallowed it and coughed, shaking his head. "Ok, stupid idea," he rasped. Slowly, he began to eat his fill of fish once more. After he had finished, he raised his head and closed his eyes, smelling the air around him.

_Ok, I can definitely smell water nearby. Honestly, between the water, shelter and seemingly bottomless fish pile, this is a really nice place for a dragon to live. Anyone to live, honestly,_ he mused. Opening his eyes, he headed towards the direction the water smell was coming from, reaching a small stream sooner than he had expected.

Lowering his head to the water, he paused. _How do I drink? _The thought had never occurred to him before. Frowning, he tried lapping at it like he'd seen dogs do before. His tongue got cold, but not much else happened. Narrowing his eyes, he lowered his jaw into the stream and bit at the water, sealing his lips tightly. He raised his head and swallowed, eyes widening in delight at his success.

After drinking his fill, he returned to the clearing and laid down underneath a bush near the pile of fish. With any luck, whoever was filling it would wake him up when they put more fish on it. Stretching out his wings and tail one last time, he curled himself into the same ball he had earlier. _Tomorrow, I should explore my surroundings a bit, _he decided. _PT first though…_

His sleep was undisturbed that night, filled with nothing but rest and relaxation. When he woke the next day, he felt as though he had had the best sleep of his life. The birds that acted as an alarm clock, however, did put a slight damper on his start. "Almost wish my bad hearing was back," he grumbled tiredly. "No matter, I need to get the day started anyway. Can't go getting lazy."

As he began to run around the clearing once more, it occurred to him that he didn't really know why he was set on exercising first thing in the morning. It felt as though he had done it for years, just another part of his day. But he didn't know _why_. He wondered if it was maybe just something he had done for the fun of it, though he didn't find it much fun now. No, now it was as though it was simply habit.

He pushed himself further than he had the night before, doing everything faster and harder than he had. At the end of his exercise, he found himself incredibly glad to be so close to a constant stream of fresh water. After quenching his thirst, and then eating his fill, he set about with his plans for the day. It felt good to have a plan.

As he wandered through the forest, making sure to keep a mental track of his clearing, he noticed that there was a _lot _of wildlife around. A few times he saw a glimpse of a deer bounding through the trees, saw a boar digging through the dirt near his clearing, heard and saw many squirrels and birds, and even caught a glimpse of a few mice. _I should try hunting something today, _he thought. _I don't know if the fish pile will last forever, and I'd rather be somewhat competent by that point._

He didn't see any sign of other dragons, which both relieved and disappointed him. On the one hand, he really didn't know if dragons were meant to be social creatures, or if they all preferred a life of solitude. Considering the fact that he was small… he wouldn't really stand a chance against a larger dragon. If there were larger dragons, that was. Who knows, maybe all dragons were two feet tall.

After a few hours of exploring, he came across an incredibly tall cliff, one that stretched hundreds of feet into the sky. His eyes widened, and he sat down heavily as he stared up at it. _Now I really feel small,_ he whined. Narrowing his eyes once more, he nodded decisively. "So I swear, mighty beast, I shall conquer thee before seven nights have passed!" he declared loudly, raising a paw at it in mock anger. "That will teach you to be so blasted big."

With yet another goal in mind, he turned to retrace his steps towards the clearing, though he didn't make a point of rushing back. He needed to learn how to hunt, and there was no time like the present. Rather quickly, he noticed how comfortable he was in his body. It was almost like he'd always been a dragon. But, being comfortable did not mean being _stealthy_. He tried his best, but he never got closer than ten feet to a squirrel, and even further from a mouse. _Not even going to try stalking a deer, _he thought bitterly. Of course, as soon as he saw an opportunity to do so, he tried to stalk one anyway. It ended predictably.

Growing more and more frustrated, he decided to throw his stealth to the wind for now and sprinted as fast as he could through the trees towards the clearing. Almost as soon as he took off, he heard a startled squeal and turned his head to see a few mice racing away from his sudden burst of movement. _Huh. I was right next to them that whole time? Guess I need to be mo-,_ his thought was cut off as he felt himself run into something very hard, immediately giving himself a massive headache. "Ouch!" he cried as he collapsed onto the ground, clutching at his pained head.

**(-)**

"Stupid trees," he growled as he entered the clearing. "Today is _not _going as I'd hoped it would." Sitting down with a huff, he began to lick at his shoulder, the scabs from the previous day having split open again from his exercise.

_Now what?_

He decided that it would be best for him to take a quick break from the day, at least from the physical aspects of it. Laying down, he observed his secluded clearing more attentively, trying to see if there was anything he might have missed in his time there so far. However, after a few minutes of seeing nothing, he decided enough was enough. "Better ways to work on _that _particular issue," he muttered, sitting up.

As he got up to move towards the pile of fish once again, a flicker of movement caught his attention in the bushes. Quickly whipping his head to face it, he narrowed his eyes. "Hello?" he called, moving towards where the motion was slowly. When he didn't get a response, he started to move a little quicker, pausing when he was a few feet away from the bush. He stared at it intently but didn't see anything.

Crouching low to the ground, he tensed his leg muscles. In a sudden burst of movement, he pounced through the bush, front paws outstretched. His claws sank into flesh, and he heard a pained squeal erupt from whatever it was that he had just attacked. His momentum carried him through the rest of the bush, and he collided fully with the animal. Quickly shaking his head, he leapt away from it, eyes taking in its features.

It was a boar, a large one. Not only was it large, he noticed, but it looked _pissed_. As he stared, the hog rushed at him, swinging its tusks at him. Once more he leapt away, arcing his body to try and avoid its swipe. He let out a yowl of pain as one of its tusks drew itself across his left cheek. Ignoring the injury for the moment, he bolted back through the bush and into the clearing. _Need room to move, _he thought, the boar right behind him.

He tried to put some distance between them, running as fast as he could, but the hog was gaining. Hearing it squeal in rage, he pushed himself off to the side and dug his claws into the dirt as he whipped around to face it. To his relief, the boar rushed past him with its hooves sliding over the grass as it tried to stop its momentum. Finally stopping, it turned to face him. Tensing his muscles, he prepared to jump out of the way as it charged him once more.

_This could be very bad, _he thought as he dodged another charge. _I definitely don't want to get pinned by it. Those tusks are sharp. _As it rushed past him again, he swiped a paw at its side, feeling his claws lightly scratching its flank. _At least it can't turn too fast when it's charging._

Having been wounded yet again by his claws, the boar looked positively livid. When it turned to face him again, he was surprised when it didn't rush him immediately. As he stared into its unintelligent gaze, he found himself wondering if it was even possible for him to win this fight. He had already wounded it with his claws twice, yet all that had seemed to do was make it more enraged.

It began to charge at him again, and he prepared to dodge once more. He saw it lower its head as he himself lowered his body, and it swung its tusks at him as he tried to avoid it. While it missed most of his body, he had forgotten that he now had a tail. He was reminded of that fact as one of the boar's tusks pierced it, in between his secondary fins and the ones on the end of his tail.

For some reason, something deep inside of him screamed at him to protect his tail fins at all cost. In the split second that followed the tusk entering into his tail, he leaped onto the boars back and dug his claws into its shoulders as he brought his tail out of harms way. Immediately the boar began bucking and squealing, shaking its head from side to side. With his teeth unsheathed, he latched his jaws around the back of its neck, wrapping his forepaws around it as he did so.

He tuned out the boar's now panicked screams and began to claw at its throat furiously as he shook his head, tearing into its flesh. The hot taste of its blood filled his mouth, though it didn't disgust him as he thought it would. Instead it seemed to fill his body with an incredible energy, and he shook his head even harder and dug his claws in deeper. It was _good._

After what seemed to be hours, though was probably at most a few minutes, he felt the hog's struggles grow weaker. Finally, the large creature stopped its movements and stood, before collapsing slowly onto its forelegs, followed shortly by its hindlegs. Then it rolled onto its side and stopped moving, barring a few twitches.

He remained locked onto its back for a few moments after it collapsed, making sure that it wasn't going to be getting back up. Then he relaxed his grip and removed his mouth. Slowly, his heart pounding furiously, he crept off it and made his way in front of it. It's eyes, once holding some serious rage, were now empty and void of any signs of life. Only then did he take in a deep breath and begin to relax, collapsing onto his belly as he began to pant.

_What is my luck, _he groaned mentally, rolling onto his side. _I've been here for two days and I've already almost died. _He stared at the large creature in disbelief, only now processing how large it was. While it had appeared to be larger when it was still living and furious, it was definitely larger than himself.

Soon though, the adrenaline running through his body began to fade and he once again became aware of his injuries. Wincing, he sat up slowly and reached a paw towards his torn cheek, eyes widening as he felt the extent of the injury. It had torn his skin, scales and all, from the corner of his mouth back towards the back of his head, just below his eye. _Seriously, am I lucky or unlucky? _he asked himself as he continued to feel around it. It wasn't a clean cut either. It felt to be around an inch wide and eight inches long, with the ends tapering down to points.

Bringing his tail up in front of him, he studied his new injury there. His eyes widened and he began to lick at it gently, relief filling his body as the pain began to fade away. This one was more of a puncture wound, and he found himself incredibly relieved that it wasn't worse. It still hurt far worse than the one on his cheek.

He turned his attention back towards the boar and tilted his head. _I don't want it to go to waste… but how the hell am I going to eat that thing? _As he approached it, he wondered at how normal it seemed to be considering eating a large, raw and once live pig without first skinning or cooking it. It should have disgusted him, but instead it was… normal.

Opening his jaws wide, and wincing at the pain in his cheek, he sank his teeth into its shoulder. Surprisingly easily, he was able to rip out a manageable chunk with the still warm meat. Swallowing it quickly, he began to tear into the pig, becoming aware of just how hungry he was. He ate until he was full and then some, just to be sure, before backing away to clean his chest, legs and paws, all of which were covered in blood from either the fight or his meal.

Now clean, he laid down and continue to clean his right foreleg, eyeing the carcass as he did so. _Either Pumbaa was smaller than I thought, or dragons can eat a lot. Maybe both, _he mused, not questioning who Pumbaa was. He thought about falling asleep right then but decided that he should tend to his facial wound.

As he staggered over to the creek, it occurred to him that he was very tired. _Lots of food and intensive exercise, _he reasoned, taking a drink before lowering his head under the water. The cool water felt ridiculously good against his wound, and he began to purr. Opening his eyes under the water, he watched as the red tint surrounding him began to dissipate. Closing his eyes once more, he shook his head furiously. Once he was satisfied that his scales were clear of blood, he lifted his head out of the water, breathing smoothly. _I can hold my breath for quite a while, apparently, _he thought tiredly, making his way back to his sleeping spot.

"Well, tomorrow is going to suck," he said softly, curling into position.

**(-)**

His prediction proved to be correct, as he woke up stiff and in pain the next day. He still forced himself to move and take his morning workout. Eating all that he could of the boar, along with a few fish for diversity, he set out on his plans for the day. While he wanted to take things easy for the day, he decided on pushing himself. Pain hadn't stopped him before, and it certainly wasn't going to stop him now.

Today he had decided that he was going to work on running through the forest. It wasn't going to be easy, nor would it be fast, but he knew it wouldn't hurt for the sake of avoiding obstacles in the future. Who knew, maybe he could think of an activity that would require moving quickly through a wooded area.

His latest idea proved to be annoying, to say the least. For one thing, he couldn't run very fast and still avoid the trees. For another, his tail started to hurt again. Each quick turn sent a needle of pain up his tail, the first time making him crash into a tree. Still, he persevered.

When the sun was past its highest point, he decided that he should go back to his clearing for more food, putting his practice into play. While it wasn't much, there was definitely a noticeable improvement in his movements. Pain was a powerful motivator, after all.

After his lunch, he began to practice sneaking around, wanting to be able to add more diversity to his diet without enraging a pig and almost dying. _That would be a poor way to die, _he mused, carefully placing his paws onto the forest floor. _Death by pig. I would have to be the worst dragon in history. _He narrowed his eyes, looking at a squirrel that was a few yards away. Tensing his muscles, he crouched down and took a few more steps towards it. _Now, _he thought, leaping forward with his paws outstretched.

"Damnit," he complained, watching as the squirrel skittered up the tree. "One day, squirrel, one day…"

Taking the failure in stride, he immediately turned around to look for a new target. A leaf on a low hanging branch caught his attention, and he stared at it in determination. _That leaf shall know a dragon's wrath, the likes of which it has never known, _he mentally swore. Creeping up to it carefully, he paused when he was a couple feet away. Crouching low to the ground, he leaped with as much force as he could, letting out a small roar of celebration as he landed, the leaf in between his paws. True to his word, he promptly began to shred it into tiny pieces.

A feeling of accomplishment settled into his being, though he knew that, however mighty the trial, a leaf was still just that; a leaf. He didn't dwell on it, and just took pride in his work. Looking around, he waited for something else to stalk. Leaves weren't exactly challenging prey, after all. _That boar though, _he thought. _That was an accomplishment._

Spying another squirrel, he set about creeping up on it. _This time… _Creeping closer and closer to it, he felt adrenaline shooting throughout his body, though to a lesser extent than when he faced the boar. Not pausing this time, he leapt towards it as soon as he was within range, resisting the urge to shout in his delight when he felt fur in between his claws. Delight quickly turned to disappointment when he saw the squirrel skirt up the tree, leaving a small tuft of fur from its tail in his grasp. He sighed dejectedly.

"Well, I suppose that that's going to have to do it for today," he muttered. He glanced up towards the cliff he had come across the day prior, and spent a moment just observing it. _Not quite sure how, but I need to climb that._

That thought in mind, he made his way back towards his clearing, pouncing at a mouse that ran across his path. He was only moderately disappointed when it ran away. "The real question is, what exactly am I doing wrong?" he asked. He sighed again, patting a rock that drew his attention. "It's starting to get really old just talking to myself." As he said that, it occurred to him that he didn't know what exactly he was saying. Sounds were coming out of his mouth, but if he hadn't been the one to say them, he didn't think he would understand a word of it. It just sounded like grunts, growls and yowls. Rather irritating to listen to once he thought about it. "Maybe it's a good thing that there is no one around for me to talk to."

He entered the clearing and approached his pile of fish, once again completely restocked without any sign of anyone doing it. His boar was gone, he had finished it off earlier in the day, which he considered to be a blessing. He didn't want it to start smelling, and he really didn't know how long it would stay safe to eat. Or if there was even a time limit for a dragon. Other meat eaters, he knew, could and would eat food that humans would have considered long past spoiled and unfit for eating. It was an interesting thing to consider.

After eating his fill again, he quenched his thirst and returned to his sleeping spot, curling up once again for the night. _And so, the ritual continues, _he thought in amusement, before his sight faded to black once more.

**(-)**

The next four days passed in a very similar manner. He would wake up, perform his exercises, eat and drink, and then set about perfecting his skills, or lack thereof. Two days after his skirmish with the boar, he noticed that his wounds no longer pained him. Indeed, the one on his tail was already forming into a rather unsightly scar, and he could only imagine that the one on his cheek was in a similar state. That was good, in his opinion. Scars meant learning, and learning means progress. Progress was what he was after. Three days after the boar attack, he finally caught himself something other than a leaf.

He had been creeping around the forest, missing yet another squirrel, when he had an epiphany. The squirrel hadn't noticed him for the longest time, even when he was only a few feet away. That had changed as soon as the wind did. He found that he could no longer smell the dirt-and-tree scent that the squirrel possessed. The squirrel, however, was disappearing into the branches almost immediately after.

Once he processed what he learned, he realized that he must have a smell like everything else around him. The few times that he had come close to a squirrel without it noticing him, it had been when he could smell them clearly. That didn't explain everything about what he was doing wrong, but it certainly explained a lot. They could _smell_ him.

Bringing his tail up towards his nose, he inhaled deeply, focusing on his scent. There was a faint smell of blood, that of fish and also that of grass. He figured he must have missed a few spots on him when he was cleaning himself of blood. Armed with that new knowledge, he made his way to a deeper part of the creek and jumped in it.

Coincidentally, that was also when he found out that he _really_ didn't know how to swim. He found himself glad that he could hold his breath for a while, long enough for him to claw his way across the creek bed and into a shallower area. He decided that he should learn how to swim while he was there and spent a few hours in the water, long enough for him to be able to swim competently, if not skillfully. For whatever reason, the action brought him a fair bit of peace. He must have enjoyed the water in his previous life. It was almost like he'd spent a lot of his life in it.

After feeling confident enough in his actions to be able to swim constantly for many minutes on end, he crawled out of the water and brought his tail up to his nose again. The smells he had noticed earlier were all gone, replaced entirely by that of water. Deciding that smelling a large amount of water would be strange in the forest, as it hadn't rained since he'd been there, he rolled in grass and dirt, bushes and rubbed himself up against a few trees. The result boosted his confidence substantially. He didn't smell of anything in particular, just the forest.

Pleased with his work, he set about finding something to hunt. The first thing he spotted was a deer, grazing in between a couple trees. While he didn't want to even attempt to bring a deer down, he figured that it would, at the very least, be good practice to see if his new plan worked. Moving very carefully, he approached the deer, pausing when he was close enough that, if he had wanted to, he could have jumped onto its back in one motion. There he laid down and waited.

For the next five minutes, he did nothing but observe the deer as it grazed, being sure to keep a low profile. A few times its gaze passed right over him, and the deer didn't even see him. The real test came when the winds shifted again, and suddenly he was upwind. He held his breath, but the deer didn't react. It merely twitched an ear and went about its business. The next time it had its back to him, he took the opportunity to sneak away just as carefully as he had previously. The deer never even noticed him.

After that success, he became very excited to try hunting himself some food. He didn't have to search long, there were plenty of small animals around. But he was looking for one _particular_ prey item, one that he had a personal vendetta against.

_There, _he thought, eyes coming to rest on a squirrel about halfway up a tree. He was upwind of it, but that didn't bother him now. After the deer, he was confident that it wouldn't notice him by scent. Besides, he may have been upwind of it, but it was facing away from him. Sight and hearing are what he had to worry about. When he was close enough, closer than he'd ever been to one before while not pouncing, he leapt at it. Delight flooded his system as he felt caught the squirrel by its body, and a quick bite put it out of its misery. He let out a roar of triumph, and then ate the squirrel.

"That'll teach you, you fluffy rats," he said, grinning.

For the rest of that day and the next, he spent most of his time hunting or stalking, eager to perfect that latest skill. He no longer took from the fish pile as often as he had, though he still took a fair amount from it. When he wasn't doing that or sleeping, he would swim or run through the trees.

Seven days after he first woke up in the clearing, he decided that he would spend that day climbing to the top of that cliff. He knew that he couldn't just climb up the section he had first seen and would have to instead see if there was a more manageable side around it. After his morning routine, he immediately ran to the cliff, where he sat and gazed at it for a few minutes.

Slowly, he followed the base of the cliff, staring up at it to see if he could spot any potential routes. At first, he didn't see any clear paths, though he thought he saw one that might be possible, but he couldn't tell for sure. Erring on the side of caution, he continued looking.

The sun was approaching its highest point when he finally spotted a small game trail that winded up its side. Staring up at it, he knew it would take him several hours to reach the top. _No time like the present, _he thought, amused. That thought in mind, he began the trek up the mountain.

* * *

**Well, that was chapter one. I hope you all enjoyed and let me know your thoughts. I understand that there is a lot to process in this chapter, namely that our MC doesn't have a name, and also has **_**incredibly **_**selective amnesia. His response to becoming a dragon is also highly unusual, I am aware. After all, what sane person would come up with a booty wiggle to help get acclimated to their body? That particular scene had me smiling and cringing at the same time as I wrote it. To be honest, it wasn't entirely planned that way. It was just supposed to be a simple rotation of the tail… which I then theorized would cause his whole body to move. Hence, the wiggle. It serves its purpose though.**

**As someone I recently started speaking with told me, everything seems so obvious when you're the one writing the story. I agree with that completely. I hope that the foreshadowing I've included in this chapter aren't too obvious, even though it seems to be as subtle as a brick through glass in my eyes.**

**Also, I'm fairly sure that amnesia wouldn't affect people like it's affecting the MC. I am **_**very **_**aware of that. So please, do not tell me about realism or lack thereof in the story. It's about dragons after all lmao.**

**Another thing I will address before someone mentions it: This is not a standard 'character lost in TV land' type of story, though I suppose it technically is. Essentially, HTTYD does not exist in our MC's world. Bear that in mind. And no, I don't consider that a spoiler lol. It gives nothing important to the story away.**

**That should be everything. See you next chapter!**

**-Aelan**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome to Chapter two everybody!**

**This particular chapter has some heavier moments in it, so be warned of that. Thank you to those that review, and those that of course read. Hopefully you enjoy!**

**And going to say a special thanks to Deadly-Bagel, for without him, this chapter would not be up on a reasonable time. My new laptop, bought solely for writing purposes, decided that it didn't want to connect to my Wi-Fi anymore. While the issue is not fixed entirely, I am able to connect to the internet once more.**

**Enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you at the closing AN. **

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own How to Train Your Dragon or any of its characters portrayed in this story. I do, however, own this story and the OC's I've included in it.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"I regret everything," he growled, shaking a paw to rid it of the stones that had found their way into his skin. After walking for a week on the soft forest ground, the hard stone and rocks were positively murdering his paws. Steeling himself, he pressed on, though he did take a moment to peer over the side of the ledge.

He had been walking for hours, and yet he was only maybe two-thirds of the way up the mountain. Either it was taller than he thought, or he walked slower than anticipated. He had a feeling it was the latter of the two. He definitely hadn't considered how the ground would affect his paws.

_This is why I wore boots, _he thought grouchily. Still, on he walked. He was glad that he had spent what time he had getting used to walking and balancing. Otherwise he was sure he would have fallen off the edge many times, and while he had wings, he certainly didn't know how to use them. That was one of the reasons he had been so determined to climb the mountain. Motivated learning was the best form of learning, and fear and pain were powerful motivators.

A few hours later, he noticed that the ground at his feet was slowly leveling out. However, when he looked up to gauge how close he was to the top, he was confused to see nothing but the sky. _Where did the cliff go?_

He snapped out of his confusion when his paws landed on soft grass instead of the hard stone he had been stepping on before. Looking down quickly, he realized that he had finally made it. "Yes!" he crowed ecstatically, energy flowing through his limbs once again as he pranced around for a moment, careful to stay away from the edge. Soon enough, his excitement wore off and he took in his surroundings.

The top of the cliff flattened out and was surprisingly clear of obstacles. He spotted a large boulder in the middle of the small field that graced the mountain top, jutting into the sky like a deformity on the land. As he looked towards the south, he saw a small patch of trees. Further down, he noticed yet more trees, followed by even more. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly walked towards them, noticing that the ground was sloping down gently. His eyes widened, before he collapsed onto the ground, covering his head with his wings.

"Fuckin' hell," he grumbled. "I spent all of that time climbing that _death trap_, and this _whole _time, there was an easy slope up to the top. 'Course there is."

What he had seen was exactly that: a nice, gentle slope covered in grass and trees leading all the way towards the base of the mountain. He groaned, and slowly sat up. _Well, at least it's good exercise,_ he mused. He made a quick promise to himself that he would take the path he had just taken more than he would take the gentle path. Work smarter not harder, he knew, but sometimes harder was a viable way to get things done if you want results. At the very least, it kept him honest.

Ignoring the universe's cruel prank on him, he turned back towards the north, where he knew his clearing was located, and approached the edge. There he sat, and simply took in the view that surrounded him, eyes wide.

He was on a peninsula. It was a large peninsula, to be sure, but it was still just that. As he looked towards the north, he saw a lot of trees followed by more trees. On the northern edge of the peninsula, there was another, smaller, mountain jutting from the otherwise flat ground. Well, 'flat'. He could tell that the center of the peninsula was essentially a large hill. Beyond the other mountain, he could see the glimmer of water, which seemed to stretch on forever. Closer to his current perch, he could see the gap in the trees that was his clearing.

To the west, he saw some trees though they weren't nearly as extensive as that to the north. The trees turned into a sandy beach, which led into the water of the ocean. As he breathed in, he could even smell the scent of salt on the air, much stronger than when he was on the ground in his clearing. He hadn't realized he'd been so close to the ocean, though it explained why he randomly caught a whiff of salt every now and again.

To the east, there were trees, sprawling for what seemed to be forever, barring another mountain, similar in height to his. It was about half the distance from him to the mountain to the north, which he knew would take a while to traverse. Maybe half a day.

To the south was the gentle sloping side of the mountain he was on, with the ocean shore much closer than any other direction. It seemed like it went mountain-slope, some trees, beach and then water. _Not much to see there, _he thought.

Having seen everything that he could, at least for the moment, he decided that he would take a quick nap before he did anything else. He yawned as he walked back towards the trees on the south end of the area, before curling up to sleep some. He hadn't realized that he was so tired, and he knew he'd be needing the energy later.

When he awoke a few hours later, the sun was about three-quarters of the way through its journey. _Well, no time like the present, _he mused, stretching his body out, including his wings. Now he was very glad that he had worked so hard at strengthening his wing muscles.

Wasting little time, he approached the edge he had stood over earlier. After glancing downwards once more, he nodded decisively. Then he backed away from the edge once again, before pausing and breathing deeply. As he let it out, he turned back towards the edge. _Adrenaline is a wonderful teacher, _he thought, and then took off at a sprint towards the edge, before throwing himself off.

He didn't waste any time as he plummeted towards an early grave, and immediately threw open his wings and extended his tail. Almost immediately, he felt the air fill his wings and laughed as his decent slowed. However, it didn't stop completely, and for some reason he found himself gliding _backwards_.

Looking over his shoulder, his eyes widened as the cliff wall came closer at a rate that was far too fast for comfort. Casting his mind about, he quickly studied his wings and body, trying to identify what was causing himself to move backwards. Then he spotted his tail, which was drooping towards the ground drastically. _Oh,_ he thought. _Fins are closed. _With that thought in mind, he extended them and laughed again as his tail raised up until it was level with the rest of his body. He stopped moving towards the cliff-face soon after, much to his relief.

_So, if I tilt my wings _this _way, _he thought, tilting them both forward slightly. He began to glide forward after that, and a smile found its way onto his muzzle. "Yes!" he cried. Looking down, he saw that he still had several hundred feet to go until he was to reach the ground. _Plenty of time. Now, turning?_

An idea entered his mind, and he tilted both of his wings to the right… and immediately began to fall towards the earth. He straightened out his wings quickly, and after gathering his bearings and seeing how much air he'd lost, tried it again, not tilting his wings quite so far and being sure to use his tail fins as well.

This time he turned, though it wasn't nearly as graceful as he'd hoped. Still, it was progress. He spent a few precious moments of air time practicing that, almost falling from the sky once more. Soon enough, he felt that he had gliding down and moved onto what he felt would be the challenging part: flying.

He carefully angled himself back towards the cliff-face, particularly where the start of the game trail was. _Only have a few more minutes of air-time, gotta make it count, _he thought. As he approached, he decided that he would try flapping. He brought his wings up and almost immediately began to free-fall. Panicking slightly, as he was much closer to the ground, he snapped his wings back into the gliding position, now gliding just barely above the tree tops.

He held his breath as he watched the edge of the trees approaching… and let it out as he barely cleared them. Turning his attention back to the wall of mountain, his eyes shot open as it approached him much faster than he was comfortable with. Screeching loudly, he banked hard to his left.

Pain shot through his right side as it impacted the cliff-face, sharp rocks tearing into his flesh as he skidded against it before distancing himself. Panic flooded his system as the ground approached him even faster, and he desperately tried to slow his decent. As the ground continued to rush at him, he closed his eyes tightly and braced himself. He felt himself hit the ground, and then he knew no more as unconsciousness overtook him.

**(-)**

He came to in a daze, and robotically made his way towards the game trail, starting up it as soon as he reached it. His mind was racing through a fog as he tried to figure out what went wrong during his first attempt at flight, besides the obvious.

_Moved my wings straight up, and suddenly I'm falling like a brick. Maybe I wasn't moving fast enough? Maybe I wasn't putting enough power behind my strokes? No, I didn't even flap down. I just flapped up and was pushed down… oh. If I flap straight up, of course I'm going to go down. I need to angle my wings then? When I flap upwards… the air needs to stay under my wings, I can't close them, either up or down, _his thoughts trailed off and he focused solely on climbing upwards.

His multiple hour-long journey passed in a daze, and to him, it seemed only as though a matter of minutes had passed. As soon as he reached the top, he moved under the trees and collapsed, letting sleep overtake him once more.

**(-)**

He didn't know how long he slept, for him it was simply timeless rest. His body needed to heal; of that he was sure. Sleeping sped up the process. When he finally came to, he was surprised that he didn't wake to any pain, other than the hunger in his stomach. Opening his eyes slowly, he blinked around in confusion, wondering how he'd gotten to where he was.

After a few moments, he recognized his surroundings as being the top of the mountain. _Must have climbed up here before collapsing, _he reasoned, yawning. Then the events of his latest misadventure came to mind, and he quickly glanced down at his side, which had been cut when he collided with the cliff-face. There were no gaping wounds, but the entire right side of his body was covered with blood. His blood. He frowned and began the process of cleaning his body, something that took far longer than it should have.

As he cleaned, he briefly wondered when he had gotten so comfortable using his tongue to essentially bathe. The idea was so… foreign, that he didn't even remember when he started doing it. He couldn't argue with results though. Eventually, his side was clear of any dried blood and he was able to observe his body without any hindrance.

There were three new and large marks running the length of his side, along with many tiny ones dotting around them. There were also a few smaller scratches, but he figured that a lot of the marks would disappear completely, given enough time. Already some of them were looking rather faded, though the large ones he knew would remain as scars for the rest of his life.

"Joy," he muttered. After studying them for some time, he came to the realization that they were similar to how his tail wound from the boar looked three days after he received it. _I was out for three days?! _he thought, incredulously. _No wonder I'm so hungry!_

He quickly scanned the area to see if there was any easy prey laying around but didn't see anything. Then he noticed that there was another pile of fish not too far from where he was currently resting. His eyes widened, and he bolted to the pile to search around it for any signs of marks or someone having been there. He found nothing and stared at the pile in surprise.

His stomach growled again, causing him to snap out of his daze. _Don't look a gift fish in the mouth I suppose, _he thought, taking a fish from the pile and quickly devouring it. He ate his fill from the pile and afterwards sat down again to groom himself. _Whoever keeps bringing me food, I need to find them and thank them, _he thought contentedly. _I owe them quite a lot._

He lazed around the area for a time, letting himself digest some while also letting himself think on the issue of flight. Dimly, he recalled his thoughts during the long trek up the game trail the second time. _I can't flap straight up and down. That _clearly _does not work, _he mused. _I also need to maintain surface area. So… hmm. Maybe it's like treading water? With hands, when I had them. _He thought about it some more, and then nodded. _I suppose it would be similar to that. So, I need to kind of make an oval-ish shape then. That would probably get me flying forward at least. Landing… I don't want to have another mishap like last time. I suppose slowing down would be simple enough, just flare my wing and angle them away from my direction of travel._

Nodding decisively, he slowly got to his paws and stretched, making sure stretch his wings as well. They were a little stiff, but that could have been from them not having been opened in three days. With his newfound knowledge, he once again ran towards the edge of the cliff and threw himself off.

This time he had his wings and tail-fins open to glide as soon as his back paws left the ground. He smiled as his wings filled with air, and spent a few moments just enjoying the sensation of gliding as he observed the sun's position. _Wait, that's the moon. It's night time?! I thought it was day…_, the shock ran through him at his incredible night vision. _I'm a black dragon, so I suppose it makes some sense that I'd be able to see at night. But why didn't I notice this sooner? _He didn't have an answer for that. Sighing, he shook his head and got to work.

Once he was far enough away from the cliff, he put his thoughts into motion, going through the process slowly. As soon as he angled his wings upwards slightly, he felt the resistance against them increase substantially as he began to lose altitude. _Quickly then. _He brought his wings down and back, essentially using them to scoop the air behind him. His efforts were rewarded with him moving forward slightly faster and no longer losing altitude.

"Yes!" he roared, and repeated the motions, faster this time. He felt slightly giddy at how easy this all was when he knew what he was doing. Glancing back towards the cliff, now a fair distance away, he saw that he was about halfway down it from where he had started. Nodding determinedly, he began to repeat his flapping motions repeatedly, looking down as he did so. The earth was definitely moving away from him.

As he still wasn't sure how to turn while flapping, he eased into a glide and gently looped back towards the direction he had come. Angling his wings and body so that he would fly upwards at a steeper angle, he started flapping again. He was flying! He roared again in triumph.

After a few attempts at turning while flapping, he noticed that his tailfins were a very important part to his flight. They kept him balanced and helped him to steer, and it made sense to him why his body had reacted the way it had when the boar had struck his tail. _It would absolutely stink to lose one of them. That's a permanent grounding, _he thought, thinking of how close he had come to never being able to experience what he was now.

Eventually his wings began to tire, as flapping on the ground was nowhere near as strenuous as using his wings to maintain flight. They bore his entire body weight while flying, little that it was. _I suppose that's a positive for being a midget. That would also explain, from an evolutionary standpoint, as to why dragons are so small. _It still irked him slightly that he wasn't a large and powerful dragon. Then he wouldn't have to fear boars.

He lazily glided down from his incredible height, having decided earlier to see how far he could fly upwards, which proved to be pointless, he hadn't reached his limit yet, and angled his body towards the top of the mountain he had taken off from. As he got nearer to it, he turned his thoughts once again to how he would land. He tilted his wings slightly backwards to slow his decent, eyes narrowed at the approaching ground.

When he was ten feet above the ground, he abruptly flared his wings and flapped once, sending his mild momentum into a standstill. He braced himself for the impact of landing, holding his paws straight out in front of him. His momentum wasn't what it was, but it was more than enough to send his chest slamming into the ground and slide him along it for a few feet, the breath being knocked out of his body at the impact.

_I made it, _he thought, slowly standing to catch his breath. Flying was rather strenuous. _Need to work on the landing though, that way is a good one to break a rib. _Once he'd got his breath back, and after he stretched out his well-used wing muscles, he mosied over to the pile of fish to have a late lunch. Or early breakfast. He really didn't know what time it was, being able to see in the dark was very foreign to him. As he looked around though, he noticed that there was a faint hue to everything, and everything seemed to have some shadow over it. _Not quite the same as seeing during the day, but close enough._

He ate his fill and then proceeded to clean his paws of any fish scales or dirt he had picked up as he thought about all he had accomplished in the past few hours. _I can fly now. That in itself is _seriously _cool. I do need to work on landing better though, and also taking off from the ground… that's going to be challenging. _With a yawn, he shook the thoughts from his head and curled up to sleep, glad that he had had the foresight to land back on top of the mountain until he was capable of taking off from the ground. _No long climbs for this guy._

When he awoke, he ate some fish and then jumped off the cliff once more, now very confident in his ability to not fall to his death. It was very liberating, not having to fear heights. He hadn't even been aware that he had had that fear before, though part of him told him that he knew and just didn't want to admit it.

He spent most of that day flying, though most of it was landing practice. By the time he had gotten confident in his abilities to at least stay on his paws when he landed, he was feeling very thirsty. Before he went to get a drink from the creek, the only fresh water source nearby that he knew of, he made sure to practice a standing take off, or at least a running one without the use of the cliff. It took him a few hours, but he did eventually get the hang of it.

He landed in his clearing, for the first time in over four days he noticed, and immediately went to the stream where he drank his fill. His relief was near instant, and he decided to swim a bit before calling it a day. As he curled up to sleep in his usual resting place, he realized that he had missed it very much. It felt like home.

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A few days after he learned to fly, he decided to spend his day running through the forest, not wanting to forget about his very important legs in his newfound joy of flying. It also proved to be a much less strenuous activity than flying, as well as swimming. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the two were very alike. Whenever he swam underwater, for the brief stints that he could anyway, he used almost all of his muscles barring his wings. While flying, he used almost all of his muscles besides his legs. The two were like separate sides of a coin.

He didn't have a destination in mind, he just wanted the exercise. His route took him south of his mountain in a roundabout way, as he wasn't trying to run straight through the woods. For a time, he didn't think about anything other than the feel of the ground under his paws and the trees in front of him. Soon he found his paws impacting soft sand, bringing him out of his trance. He tilted his head curiously and pressed a paw into the sand firmly. _This feels stranger than when I had feet, _he thought, amused.

Turning his head to look around, he found himself on the sunny southern beach. _Wow. _He stared out over the ocean for a moment, before slowly approaching it, stopping when he felt the cold water splashing against his forepaws. He batted at it curiously. _Not as cold as I had been expecting._

Shaking his head, he turned to look down the beach. _Might as well, _he thought, beginning to walk alongside the water as he explored the beach. There were a few shells scattered about, but for the most part he found it to be rather clear. A smile appeared over his features, finding himself enjoying the feel of the warm sand under his paws and the hot sun warming his back.

After a little walking, he picked up a scent that made him stand still in shock. _That's… me? _He sniffed deeply, frowning as he followed it to along the tree line. Though it was very faint by now, it was definitely him. Him and a few other smells he did not recognize though they tugged at his memory. _I've never been here before though…_

The trail tangled with other scents, making it hard to distinguish and follow it, but he persisted. It veered off of the beach and into the forest. By now he felt more memories tugging at him, but they remained stubbornly forgotten. His scent grew stronger, and he knew that he must have been approaching the source.

He stopped once he reached a large hill with a rocky cave opening gaping out of its side. His nose twitched sharply. It seemed as though he had used the opening a lot at some point. _Why don't I remember? _He moved to enter the cave, but something stopped him. _No. I can't go in there again. _The thought took him by surprise. _I must._

Feeling as though he was wading through the thickest mud imaginable, he forced himself to move forward. As soon as his head entered the cave, he found himself frozen again. Fear and sadness coursed through his body, rendering him paralyzed. _What the hell? _Bracing himself, he took a few more steps inside.

His eyes adjusted quickly to the lack of light in the surprisingly deep cave, and he was able to see the inside of it clearly. The ground was made of a soft sand, with a solid rock slab placed along the far wall. It looked scorched, he noticed. It was very out of place in the otherwise soft interior, and he had a suspicion that it wasn't natural to the cave. It looked very cozy, and he found himself wondering what had him so terrified earlier. The he noticed the dark stains splattering the cave.

_Blood._

Something had died here. Not something, some_one_. In his mind, he found himself trapped once more as memory after memory flashed before his eyes.

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_He remembered his hatching, the confusion at his body and the sudden joy of being free of his cramped shell. Next to him, his brother cried out in annoyance and relief. Annoyed because he had to wait for him to hatch, relieved because he had hatched. A soft croon from their mother silence him._

_He remembered his first steps out of the den, his joy quickly becoming contagious. His brother had followed him shortly after, though he seemed to be more hesitant than himself. He knew he wasn't supposed to be alive, he had died. He knew he had died. He had experienced the whole thing happening. Why was he alive? He had shrugged off the feelings and just enjoyed being alive._

_He remembered that first night, when his new mother and father had fed them both. He had been disgusted by the upchucked food, and also by it being raw. He ate it anyway. His new parents purred their approval._

_He remembered stumbling around in his body, seemingly unable to find his balance. His brother had laughed, though he stopped after he received a tail to his face. They had wrestled after that, though he was hopelessly outmatched. He got in a few bites anyway._

_He remembered racing his brother to the beach, days after he had hatched. There they had wrestled again. Again, he was hopelessly outmatched. His brother was a true dragon, he was a human in a dragon body. It bothered him, but the joy of being alive drowned out any complaints he had had._

_He remembered his parents trying to teach them how to speak. His brother had picked it up right away, but he himself found the whole idea confusing. More fighting._

_He remembered chasing his father on the beach, using it as practice for his new body. At least that had been his excuse. It was fun, and he had found a new enjoyment for fun. His father was a challenging opponent, but he caught him a few times. He knew that his father had most likely let him, but he ignored that._

_He remembered seeing something white off in the distance as he rode on his fathers back while he flew. He had pointed it out, and his father had buzzed by to get a closer look. Then he began to frantically fly back towards the den, roaring something to his mother and brother. Something struck his father, and they began to plummet, landing on the beach._

_He remembered his father roaring something else into the sky, tinged with a cry of pain. His mother flew down towards them, but his father roared once more. She cried out, and then flew away, his brother staring at them from her back with a scared look in his eyes._

_He remembered his father and him returning to the den, hoping to hide. He had spotted what looked like a large arrow sticking out of his father's chest. He knew it was fatal. He stayed with him anyway._

_He remembered hearing the sounds of shouting coming from near the den entrance. They sounded human, but it wasn't a language that he recognized. His father nuzzled him, and ushered him out of the den, and then into the forest. He ran as his father turned back towards the humans. He heard loud roars and the screams of dying men. Still he ran. He ran until he heard no more and exhaustion rendered him unable to run any further. His father was gone, his mother was gone, his brother was gone._

_He was alone._

**(-)**

He didn't remember bolting from the cave, or his run through the forest. When he finally stopped running, he was back in his clearing. A deep sadness flowed through him, and he found himself shaking furiously. Now he knew why he didn't remember anything before waking up in the clearing. It was something he knew he did in his past life whenever he experienced a traumatic event. His brain subconsciously forced it into the back of his mind until he was ready to come to terms with it. It was never this severe though, and he attributed that to his infant draconic instincts.

The memories revealed many things to him. For one, he had completely lost the first month of his new life due to the event. For another, he was a hatchling. He wasn't a midget, though now the thought didn't amuse him nearly as much. If anything, it had depressed him. His brother had been bigger than him.

He also had a brother and a mother still alive, or at least they might still be alive. They were when he had last seen them but knowing what he did now it was entirely possible that they had perished later. Even if they were alive, he had no way of following or finding them. They had left weeks ago after all, and he didn't even know what direction they had flown in. He sighed deeply and shook his head, discarding his thoughts. _No matter._

Wanting to clear his mind, he took to the sky after a short sprint through the clearing. _One day soon, I'll be able to take off from a standstill, _he promised himself. It was something he knew would come with practice. _No matter, _he sighed, soaring above the treetops in the moonlight. It was very peaceful up here, something he knew he had never truly experienced. It was even more foreign a concept than his dragon body was. He cast his gaze about the area, observing his surroundings in closer detail. _No. I'm not going to do anything, I'm just going to fly._

And so, he flew… and he thought. A few times he thought he saw something that might catch his attention, but each time he ignored it. As he flew, he thought he could smell something new, something that seemed so familiar, and yet he couldn't quite put his paw on it. Curious, he turned his gaze out towards the horizon. Understanding filled him as he caught the sight of a large gathering of clouds.

_Looks like it's going to rain, _he mused. A brief flash of worry filled him about being struck by lightning, but some instinct told him that there was no need to worry. _I missed thunderstorms… hmm. I wonder what it would be like to fly in one._

Nodding decisively, he turned towards the mountain where he had first tried flying. He hadn't noticed how far away he had flown, much farther north than he had been before. He covered the distance in a few minutes, and soon was safely landed on the mountain. Landed being a relative term, he was still more elegantly crashing.

With nothing to do, he soon dozes off after eating some fish. For the first time since he regained awareness, he dreamed. While he knew he dreamed, it was just blurs, flashes of light, a voice and then nothing. When he awoke, he felt lonely and sad. _Dragons can't cry it would seem._

Shaking his head, he got to his paws and stretched, flicking his tail into the air as he did so. The scent he had noticed earlier was much stronger now, and as he glanced up, he saw only a dark mass of clouds. Sitting down, he began to debate on the benefits of flying during a thunderstorm. With a small groan, he knew he wouldn't be able to convince himself not to try it and got up to take off.

_Like a runway, _he thought with some amusement as he took to the sky. At first, he didn't notice much of a difference between flying now and flying in clear skies. Then it began to rain, softly at first. _This is rather nice, _was his thought as the rain gently splashed against his scales. He smiled.

Then he saw a flash of lightning in the distance, shortly followed by the sound of thunder. Like someone had hit a switch, the skies let lose their payload, drenching the earth below in life giving water. Along with the downpour, the wind suddenly picked up, and soon he was experiencing turbulence like he'd never known, his body being rag-dolled through the sky as nature kicked into overdrive.

_Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea, bad idea, bad idea, _he thought, struggling not to panic as he flapped and angled his fins against the wind to try and maintain a straight path. Each effort he made to counter the severe weather only seemed to make it worse, only managing in tiring him out. _Do I never learn?!_

He roared his frustration out into the storm, the sound punctuated by a blast of thunder.

Needing a break, he stopped fighting against the wind and rain and opened his wings to glide. The air currents slid him across the sky, and as he caught his breath, he realized that the it didn't seem nearly as brutal as before. Curious, he angled his wings and fins to catch more of the current carrying him across the sky. His eyes widened as he picked up speed.

Angling his body to follow the direction, he made short and shallow movements, not wanting to risk sending himself back into a fight to stay in the sky. What followed was something he found nearly indescribable. It was as though he could read the wind, like he could see or sense it. A drop in pressure here, a raise there, a current here… it was beautiful in a way. Letting his gut guide him, he followed a path that wasn't clear to him before.

Euphoria flooded his body as he powered through the rain and wind, and he found himself moving faster than he had thought possible. He roared again, this time in sheer joy and pride. Following the hidden streams cutting through the air, he wound through the sky, sometimes diving to glide just above the treetops, other times letting it carry him until he was just below the clouds. Lightning danced around him, and he danced with it, and the boom of thunder that followed almost seemed like the call of a long-time friend.

**(-)**

He learned a lot over the next couple of months, mostly concerning his flying. While he didn't exactly have a point of reference to go by, he felt that he was becoming a very good flyer. His movements in the sky became elegant and smooth, while his landings got to the point where he was able to remain steady on his legs after. In part, he felt that he owed that to his legs getting stronger.

His morning routine also changed after he learned to fly. He no longer had to use his ridiculous tail wiggle, and he cut out his wing exercises completely after he managed to take off from a standstill. To compliment his flying, he continued to run around the clearing and sprint through the trees and he topped it off by swimming in the now rather deep creek. Apparently it had been dry for quite a while, if the new river that used to be his creek was anything to go by.

For a time, the fish pile continued to be stocked, but he found that he preferred catching his own food. Everything tasted better when the one eating it had also been the one to provide it. He learned how to fish, a process that took longer than hunting land animals had, as in order to be successful at it he had to be quick and accurate, while also knowing exactly where his body was at all times. Otherwise he risked scaring the fish away.

Two weeks after he had first flown, the deliveries ceased. He was a competent hunter by then, and his fishing was getting better, though he would spend more time perfecting that. When it came to stalking things and remaining hidden, he was proud to see that he was quickly becoming a master at it. Every day was more practice, and he took to that practice with a drive that almost surprised him.

He was very surprised when he found out that he had been growing, and rather rapidly at that. The first time he noticed was when he curled up to sleep for the night, either in the clearing or on the top of the mountain and found that there was a smaller indent that signaled where he had slept the week before.

After that, he began to scratch his height into a tree with a claw and would use rocks and scrapes to measure his wingspan and body-length. The first month saw his size almost double, and the following month showed him to grow roughly the same amount, so that he was three times his original size. His wingspan proved to expand the most though. Each wing grew to be slightly longer than his body-length, and they maintained that consistently.

It amused him to no end to think back to when he had thought that he was a midget. Now he knew that he was simply a child again, which didn't bother him much. It made sense in a way, he doubted that he had just formed out of nothing.

At the rate he was currently growing, he would be absolutely _massive _by the end of the year. That thought sent shivers down his spine whenever he thought about it. Apparently, he had been maintaining a healthy diet for a dragon. Combined with his near constant exercise, he found that he was considerably stronger than when he first became conscious. His scales also proved to become much tougher, and his claws could no longer penetrate them quite as easily. It was interesting to see his scars, as some of them began to disappear, while others became akin to a crevasse in his hard scales, giving them a warped look. He could only imagine what the one on his face might look like.

During his time flying, he noticed that he greatly preferred flying at night, though his all-time favorite time to fly remained to be during a storm, which he was able to experience rather frequently. Each time proved to be just as exciting as it had the first time, if not more so. He decided that he was somewhere far to the north of the equator, provided he was on a planet similar to Earth. It explained the cooler temperatures at the very least. That particular thought had him worried for whenever winter would arrive. For the moment though, he wasn't too concerned, as the days were still getting longer.

One of his favorite activities beyond hunting and flying, was napping. At that he quickly proved to be a master, able to almost sleep on demand. And for a time, that was what his life consisted of; sleeping, running, eating, flying, sleeping, eating, flying, swimming, flying, eating and sleeping. It was a simple life, he knew, but it was his life. And it helped him to forget.

**(-)**

Today's flight he wanted to do something different. First, he wanted to see what his top speed in the air was. Then he wanted to explore the northern area of the peninsula, something he had been avoiding due to it not being near his clearing. It was a clear and cool morning, with the sun still below the horizon. With his incredible night vision, something he frequently took advantage of, it didn't really matter what time of day he was active but being active while it was still dark meant that he was more hidden. Not that he felt it mattered, but still. He'd always preferred the night time to day, now he just had a valid reason.

He flew south of his mountain until he was about a mile-and-a-half from it, over the ocean at that point, and then turned around, using the extra distance to pick up his speed. By the time he reached it, he wasn't gaining any extra speed even with his wings straining. As he passed it, he made sure to look down to try and judge his speed, his eyes narrowed against the intense wind.

… _By my calculations, I'm travelling at about… hmm. A bazillion trees per second, give or take a few._

He sighed slightly in annoyance, before looking upward to see how close he was to the other mountain. His eyes shot wide open and a screech escaped his mouth as he quickly turned, narrowly avoiding the rock-face that had been creeping up on him. Slightly panicked by the close encounter, he flared his wings and went in for a landing, picking a clearing that was smaller than his.

After he was safely landed, he collapsed onto the ground, panting furiously. _Ok, so apparently, I was going very fast. That mountain was over two miles away from mine, and I was flying for less than a minute… damn. Ok, so I can fly fast._

When his heart was no longer threatening to break out of his chest and he wasn't breathing as hard, he slowly sat up, his wings quivering from the near-death experience, and took in his surroundings. There wasn't much to see, just a small clearing about half the size of his own, surrounded by trees.

Shaking his head to dispel the rest of the adrenaline in his system, he padded around the area, sniffing curiously. _What smell is that? _he wondered. It was strong and musky, with something in it that seemed familiar, though he couldn't place it. Curious, he searched the clearing for more of the scent. It was there, though not as strong. If he had to take a guess, he'd say that whatever was responsible for the scent frequented the area. As he searched, he realized that there were actually two distinct scents, so similar to one another that they were almost inseparable.

He decided to follow it, knowing that if he didn't see what the source was, he'd be forever curious. A thought occurred to him, and he quickly made sure to hide his scent as best he could, rolling in the grass and rubbing against the trees. He debated for a moment, and then decided to roll in the grass where the scents were strongest. Nodding once, he began to creep through the undergrowth.

_Why does it smell so familiar? _he wondered, stealthily moving around a bush while trying to not disturb it. The trail led deep into the forest, over the creek-turned-river that ran by his clearing. It seemed to run the majority of the peninsula, though he'd never thought to determine where it originated.

Soon enough, he detected a few new scents that he couldn't quite place. One smelled very similar to smoke, but at the same time it wasn't as harsh. The other just smelled… warm. He wasn't quite sure how he would describe that one. Whatever it was, it smelled similar to something he only vaguely remembered, so vaguely that he wasn't even aware that it was something he'd smelled before.

The smells got a lot stronger, almost to the point of being overpowering. He didn't even have to concentrate on them anymore, they were just _there_. Finally, he stopped, perking his ears as he heard noises. They sounded like some of the sounds he'd make from time to time, though there was something slightly different about them. They seemed to be more coordinated, as though they actually meant something.

Moving extra carefully, he moved forward a little further. He caught a glimpse of something blue flashing through the trees. Eyes widening, he moved forward and crouched under a bush. Pausing slightly to prepare himself, he poked his nose out from underneath the bush and looked into the slight opening in the trees.

He wouldn't call it a clearing, as it was much more hidden than that due to the trees and their branches stretching out over it, providing an almost roof of sorts. To the western side of the area, there was an opening in the ground that disappeared into a hill, like a cave. It looked like it had been dug out, if the piles of dirt on either side of its entrance were any indication. And standing close to the cave entrance, apparently talking to each other, were two dragons.

At least, he assumed that that's what they were. They were much taller than him and they stood on two hindlegs, but they definitely had wings. They had large bodies, a horn on their noses, and spikes jutting out from behind its head, almost like a crown. Their powerful looking tails also appeared to be absolutely _covered _in spikes. One of them was predominantly blue, while the other was mostly green. For whatever reason, he could also _smell _their genders. The blue one smelled very similar to him, while the green one smelled… different. His mind just immediately attached the genders to the different smells, and he didn't bother arguing with it.

He crouched there, studying them curiously. They were definitely talking, but he couldn't understand a word of it. It just sounded like an unusual mix of grunts, growls and… hums? He couldn't place that last one. Or at least, he didn't remember the word for it in that instance.

He watched them for some time, and then saw the green one step up to nuzzle the blue one lovingly before running through the trees towards the clearing he had landed in. As it passed, he found himself holding his breath, letting it out quietly when the dragon was far enough away. Then he continued to observe the remaining dragon as it did… something. He really didn't know what it was doing. It would disappear into the cave, run out and grab a branch or stick, and then run back into the cave.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard something crack behind him, followed by feeling a hot breath of air splash against his rear. He froze, not daring to look behind him, and a chill went down his spine. Then he heard a quick movement above him and felt sharp, needlelike teeth prick into the base of his tail and he found himself being dragged backwards out of the bush.

The teeth released him, and he quickly tried to run away, yowling his terror as the same teeth poked the back of his neck and lifted him into the air, with his legs flailing wildly. As he glanced up at his captor, he saw the green dragon staring at him, with something he couldn't identify in its eyes.

He ceased his struggles as it carried him into the opening in front of the cave. The blue one was staring at them curiously, having emerged from the cave again as soon as it heard his yowling. The green one set him down in front of the cave entrance, and then both of them blocked any escape. He could do nothing but wait for them to decide his fate.

* * *

**Well, a **_**lot **_**was covered in this chapter. Our Char can fly now! And he's not short, he's just young. All very good things to know, yes?**

**I honestly loved envisioning the scene where he's flying through the storm. I've always loved thunderstorms and flying in one without having to worry about being struck by lightning would be a dream come true. Well, when not in a flying coffin. That last was a joke, I absolutely love flying in airplanes. I should mention that I most definitely am **_**not **_**a weather expert. This was just my fanciful depiction of it.**

**Despite how poorly I feel I am doing, I have to admit that I am loving being back in the saddle again, so to speak. You only know what you miss when it's gone, no? And I've greatly missed writing.**

**Thanks again to everyone that has found my story, and hopefully everyone is enjoying! This chapter is going to be uploaded earlier in the day, as around noon CST I will not be present. So, I'd rather upload early than late.**

**Till next time.**

**-Aelan**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome to Chapter 3.**

**Now isn't this a surprise? I updated a mere two days after the last update? What?! No, this is not a mistake lmao. I was originally going to post the prologue every other day, but an internet issue prevented that last week. Upon conversing with my Beta and a fellow author though, I decided to pick that schedule up again.**

**What that means is, the rest of the prologue will be uploaded bi-daily. Once they are all posted, I will take a week off to renew my buffer, and then continue with weekly updates. The reason is quite simple. The prologue was designed to be read rather quickly, while the main story will be at a much slower pace. So for now, enjoy the quick updates!**

**Enjoy the chapter! I'll see you all at the closing AN.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own How to Train Your Dragon or any of its characters portrayed in this story. I do, however, own my OC's.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Velin chirped happily as he wove another stick into the nest, nosing the three blue-sky hatchling-eggs as he did so. Nothing but happiness and pride were present in his being whenever he gazed at them, and that was no less true today. _Eska-life-mate and I made a good thing when we made these,_ he thought, chirping again. A small stick out of place caught his attention, and he quickly nosed it back to position. Nothing but perfection would be good enough for his family.

He ran outside to grab some more green-leaf sticks and quickly returned, not wanting to leave his eggs unattended for longer than necessary. Just the thought of something happening sent bad chilling-fear throughout his being. No danger can come to this nest. He would not let it.

A loud, terrified call caught his attention, and he turned his gaze away from his hatchling-eggs to look out the den entrance. _That is not my Eska-life-mate,_ he thought, curiosity entering him. He stuck his nose out of the den and watched curiously as his green-grass life-mate carried a black-dark creature in her jaws. More curiosity.

His life-mate did not seem to be concerned, she actually seemed to be amused by the creature she was carrying, and so, Velin did not worry. If she was not worried, he was not worried. He called out a greeting, not expecting her to have returned from the hunt quite so soon. She squawked a reply back to him and gestured with her sharp-tail for him to join her.

"This one is not prey," he said, as she set down what he now saw to be a small black-dark kin. Less than six moon-cycles from what he could tell. Maybe five. Copying his life-mate, he moved to block its escape, squatting and spreading his wings.

"No," she laughed. He loved her laugh. "This one is not prey. This was watching our nest from green-grass bush." At her words he tensed, spines flexing and eyes narrowing at the hatchling. Seeing his response, she quickly put away his fear. "No threat, this one was only observing."

Velin nodded and relaxed his aggressive posture. He saw the black-dark hatchling relax, though he had a suspicion that it would flee given the opportunity. He spoke again, this time at the newcomer. "What are you doing near our nest, stranger-hatchling?" he asked it, tilting his head curiously.

The hatchling just looked at him with fear and confusion in its gaze. It made a soft squawking sound, one that most new-hatchlings made when trying to speak. Understanding came to Velin then, and he turned to his Eska-life-mate. "This one cannot speak yet," he told her, confused. She seemed to share in his confusion.

"Curious. This one is more than two moon-cycles, why has it not learned?" she asked, tilting her head at him. He snorted, and lowered his head to smell it, ignoring its flinch.

"I smell only grass and dirt; this one has no other scent. I do not smell other stranger-kin," he told her, chirping mournfully. She understood what that meant and gave a sympathetic chirp.

"How is this one still living?" she asked, smelling it as well. The hatchling still looked tense, but it did not look as though it would flee. It squawked a question, tilting its head. Velin studied it carefully, noticing it had many scars for one so young. At a quick glance, he saw one scar on its cheek, a few on its left shoulder that looked suspiciously like claw marks, and many along its length.

"Not with ease," he responded. He looked at his life-mate again. "What do we do, Eska-life-mate?"

She seemed to hesitate, before rolling her head sharply. "This one needs a dam and a sire if it is to have a good, happy life. This one has done well to not starve or become prey, though it seems to have experienced much in its life," she responded. He nodded, smiling gently. His Eska-life-mate had much love in her being. There was room for another.

"We are to have hatchlings anyway, one more will not cause harm," he agreed. She bobbed her head, and then used her wings to usher the small dark-family-hatchling into the den. The little one looked confused, though it did not seem to be as fearful as before. It obeyed his life-mate's instructions and disappeared into the den, with Velin and his Eska-life-mate following.

His life-mate directed the hatchling into the nest, though at this the dark-family-hatchling hesitated, fear in its being once more as it saw his blue-sky hatchling-eggs. It looked to Velin for confirmation, something that sent happiness throughout his being. He gave off a reassuring chirp and gently nosed it as well. He caught a new scent as he did so and rumbled approvingly.

"This one is male," he told his life-mate. She chirped warmly and nosed Velin.

"Then we have a son," she told him. More happiness entered him, and he bobbed his head.

"Do you have a name for him?" he asked, pointing his nose at his dark-son-hatchling that was now laying in their nest, confusion evident in his silver-moon eyes. His life-mate looked thoughtful for a moment and bobbed her head.

"This one is covered with conflict-scars, has survived for many moon-cycles without a dam or sire, and stalked us without our knowing. This one is Leitand, for he is a danger seeker and a life seeker," she told him. He gave off another approving rumble. It was a good name.

Velin turned back to his son-hatchling and nosed him to get his attention. "You are Leitand," he told him. Leitand stared at him, confused. He repeated the name, only the name, and again nosed him. Leitand blinked, and then spoke.

"Leitand?" he asked, placing a paw on his being. Velin bobbed his head and rumbled with approval. Encouraged, his son-hatchling pointed a paw at Velin and again asked, "Leitand?"

He shook his head and nosed his son-hatchling. "Leitand," he said. He then used a wing to gesture to himself. "Sire." He gestured to his Eska-life-mate. "Dam."

Leitand seemed to understand, and repeated the names, starting with his own. "Leitand," he said, and pointed the paw at Velin. "Sire." Happiness entered his being at that, and he bobbed his head with another approving rumble. Leitand then pointed at his Eska-life-mate and repeated the final name. "Dam." His Eska-life-mate bobbed her head with excitement and rumbled her own approval. Velin did likewise.

For Velin, this was a wonderful opportunity. His dark-son-hatchling seemed to be very intelligent and was quite obviously a gifted hunter and stalker. He had been less than five wing-spans away from them and they never knew!

He turned to his life-mate and tilted his head, curious. "He was very close to our den," he started, ", and we did not know. How did you discover him?" They both prided themselves on their incredible sense of smell, and for Leitand to be that close without them aware was both impressive and worrying.

She bobbed her head. "I was in flight-clearing when I caught scent of a stranger-kin. Leitand," Leitand's ears perked up at the mention of his name, to both of their amusements. "Hid his scent in grass, trees, bushes, dirt and our scent trail." She shook her head. "Was challenging to hunt him after, was mostly chance."

"Dam?" Leitand asked, curious. They both chuffed in amusement.

"Attention seeker also," his Eska-life-mate squawked. Velin laughed.

**(-)**

The now named Leitand spent his first few days with the other dragons in confusion, followed by a headache. Initially, learning the language was challenging and it pushed his brain to its limits. At the end of his third day, he was still frustratingly unable to speak coherently.

The very first day was the most difficult, however. He had been certain that they were going to kill him, but that did not happen. Instead, he had been placed into their nest and they had named him. While he wasn't sure exactly what it meant, he understood that it was, in fact, his name. They also introduced themselves, which he thought was very polite.

Then the male, Sire, had taken it upon himself to teach him how to speak, which he was very grateful for. Dam disappeared for the time being, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she would be back. He was surprised that he was able to differentiate the two based upon their voices alone. But as he listened to them, he found his thought drawn back to his parents. He was surprised at how much he missed them.

Learning the language proved to be very challenging. It made him recall moments in his past life that he had not considered before, such as when he learned Spanish and Russian, though more so learning Russian. He recalled many long hours listening to the same conversation repeat over and over, first in Russian, then in English, and then back to Russian, until he had learned the words and could speak them confidently. It was like that, but without the benefit of an English translation.

The result? Mind numbing hours of gradually improving sounds.

His relief came in the form of Dam returning to the nest with a large fish in her mouth. The fish she laid at Sire's feet, and then she turned towards Leitand. To his surprise, she then upchucked a whole fish for him! He hadn't been aware that dragons could do that. It was then that he made another connection. Birds, and wolves, would upchuck food for their young. That he knew. They did not do so for random strangers. Now that he thought about it, most people didn't give random strangers a name either. They treated him almost like his late dragon parents had.

_It seems that I've been adopted, _he mused, staring at the slimy fish, fighting off a wave of sadness. Steeling himself, as he didn't want to offend Dam or Sire, he quickly swallowed the already-swallowed-once fish, resisting the urge to shiver as it slimed down his gullet. _She's being nice, _he thought, letting out a happy purr. His earlier suspicions about having been adopted were reaffirmed when Dam began to groom him. He let his purr intensify, which seemed to please her greatly. As he settled into their nest, he decided that he wouldn't leave. Being alone was… lonely.

And so, a new routine was developed. Dam would hunt or gather sticks and twigs for the nest, and Sire would teach him how to speak. When she wasn't getting them food or reinforcing the nest, Dam would groom both him and Sire, oftentimes during the lessons themselves. It was an interesting dynamic, and Leitand found that he really didn't mind.

On the fourth day, the routine changed, and now Dam was the one teaching him while Sire would hunt, fish or reinforce the nest. Dam's method of teaching was a bit different. For one, she was simply _not _happy unless she was grooming him while she taught. For another, she seemed to have a little less patience than Sire. His favorite parts about her lessons, however, were when they walked through the forest to teach him.

Dam seemed to enjoy the walks just as much as he did, which was a big benefit. He learned rather quickly that if Dam wasn't happy, no one was happy. What made Dam unhappy? Dirtiness. Leitand learned that the hard way when he had accidentally tripped over a branch and fell into some rather deep mud. She had picked him up in her jaws and then proceeded to dump him into the river to get him cleaned off, while she began to fuss over whatever inconsistencies there were in his otherwise now gleaming black scales.

She didn't seem bothered by the fact that he had a lot of scars while being so young, she still insisted that he remain as clean and polished as possible. After a few days, he began to understand the appeal. He had never been one to care about his own appearance, mostly because no one else seemed to care. Now that someone did, and was _very _forceful in him maintaining it, he began to find pride in his appearance. His scales really did look rather nice when they were all polished and clean. And it kept Dam happy.

At the end of the week, he was finally competent enough to have a halted conversation, which still bothered him though at least he could make himself understood. Sire and Dam did not seem to mind, and that was a blessing in its own right. He also discovered a newer frustration, one that took the form of shedding. When he was younger and rolling in dirt and rocks, not to mention rubbing up against trees, he had never noticed it. He saw that he lost scales, but they were always replaced by more, so he did not dwell on it.

Now that he wasn't doing such activities as often, he found that it was a distinctly uncomfortable situation. It didn't hurt or itch, it just felt… off. Despite it not itching, he did find a relief in scratching at his scales. Many scales, small and large ones, would come free, and soon the den became littered with them. Dam appreciated his interest in maintaining his appearance, and would frequently insist on helping him, but even she began to get irritated at the plethora of scales on the floor.

"Outside," she told him, once she'd finally had enough. He obeyed without complaint, unwilling to risk her ire.

Around the same time, they began to leave him to watch over the eggs by himself, while they went hunting or flying together. That in itself surprised him, but the more he thought about it the more it made sense. They genuinely considered him to be a part of their family, their son. The idea of that left him near speechless, not that it was much different from normal. He was no less happy for it though. Whenever they put him on egg watch, he would station himself right at the entrance of the den and wouldn't move until they returned, something that brought them a great deal of amusement.

Dam also spent a lot of her time demonstrating to Leitand how to maintain his appearance using her tongue and teeth, something he took to with a surprising amount of eagerness. He really was turning into a vain little dragon, something both Dam and Sire seemed to approve of. For him, the lessons were more than them teaching him, they were a form of bonding. In Dam's case, grooming was a source of bonding. The thought made him happy.

The three dragon eggs in the nest intrigued him, and he found himself staring at them a lot in between sleeping and lessons. They were all roughly the same color, but he noticed that they weren't a solid color. There seemed to be hints and hues of green in them, and his ability to easily distinguish the two color was a source of wonder for him. The eggs themselves appeared to be very much so like a giant chicken egg, though they were far harder and infinitely more colorful. Sire in particular seemed to approve of his interest in the eggs, and he would often join Leitand in watching them, using the opportunity to explain the words for different colors.

For the first time in a long time, Leitand was a part of a family. That made him very happy, though being able to somewhat talk to other beings certainly helped. Trying to make the most of his newfound family, he threw away most, if not all, of his reservations as to how he should act. He was a child again after all, and he saw this as an opportunity to make up for his lack of one in his previous life. That thought in itself made it clear to him why he was subconsciously blocking his memories.

Ignoring any sense of embarrassment he might have had originally, he eagerly acted the part of a hatchling. After all, who was going to judge him? As such, he found that he greatly enjoyed playfighting with Sire, with the older male seeming to enjoy the bouts just as much as, if not more than, Leitand. Dam would always watch them with amusement prevalent in her eyes, and some other emotion that he could not quite identify. It made him happy regardless.

A month after his arrival at the nest, he found himself getting antsy. He hadn't flown in the entire time that he had been there, and while the roughhousing and running helped, he had a lot of pent up energy.

It was early in the day when he brought up the topic to his adoptive parents. "Sire," he began hesitantly, looking at the large blue dragon. Sire turned his attention to him and let out a questioning warble. "Us fly?"

The dragon blinked. "Yes, us fly. Us kin. All kin fly," he explained. Leitand internally grimaced, knowing it must be difficult to use what he identified as baby talk to speak with him. He shook his head.

"No. Us fly? Now?" he asked, using a paw to gesture to the two of them. Sire and Dam both looked at him, stumped.

"Leitand," Dam began slowly. "You want us fly?" He nodded his head vigorously, a purr rumbling through his body.

'Yes! Now?" he responded, heading towards the entrance, pausing once he was there to turn and look at them, waiting. Dam turned to Sire and nodded her head towards the entrance. Sire nodded, and the two nuzzled each other briefly, before the blue dragon rose to his full height and followed Leitand outside.

Leitand didn't wait around to chat, wanting to have been airborne yesterday. Instead he made a beeline for the clearing that he had first landed in before he met them. He paused, however, as soon as Sire called out to him.

"Why you want learn fly now?" he asked haltingly. Leitand's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Not learn fly, know fly now," he tried to explain. His Sire let out a curious warble, and then gestured for him to continue.

Nodding decisively, Leitand led the rest of the way to the clearing, where he then sat and waited for Sire to give him the go-ahead. Hearing the signal, Leitand quickly looked to the sky and spread his wings. Shortly afterwards, he was airborne and circling around the clearing above a stupefied Sire.

"Sire! Come! Follow!" he called down, wanting to show the older dragon where he had spent most of his existence. Sire shook himself, and quickly took to the sky as well, circling behind Leitand as an indication for him to lead the way.

Needing no other sign to continue, Leitand made a beeline towards his clearing, a happy roar escaping him. Sire took up the roar, seeming to be excited that his adopted son was already flying. They reached the clearing shortly after, and Leitand landed as quickly as he could. He hadn't realized how much he had missed his clearing.

"Leitand," Sire called as he landed. Leitand approached him quickly, tail waving slightly in his joy. "What is your age?"

He honestly had not been expecting that question. He knew his numbers in the draconic language, and he knew the terms for the passing of time, but he had never bothered to tell either Sire or Dam how old he was. He tilted his head in thought.

"Five moon-cycles," he finally answered, wincing as he recalled his first month of existence. He wanted to forget once more. Sire squawked in surprise, and he spoke a word he had not learned yet. "Word?" he asked, tilting his head.

Sire paused and explained. "Word means honest way."

Leitand nodded, purring happily. "Truly," he confirmed. Sire shook his head, bemused.

"How long you know fly?" he asked then. Leitand thought once more.

"Word meaning not full, not empty?" he asked. Sire looked confused for a moment, and Leitand tried explaining again. "As sun is now in journey over sky." Sire nodded, understanding.

"Half," he replied. Leitand purred again.

"Three and half moon-cycles," he answered. Sire, once again, looked stupefied.

"How?"

_This might be tricky, _Leitand thought, looking around the clearing. _Well, maybe not. _He jumped in place. "Word?" he asked.

"Jump," came Sire's response. Leitand nodded.

"I jump from mountain," he said, pointing a paw to the south where his mountain was. Sire's look turned to one of horror, before he seemingly had an internal struggle with himself. In the end he just looked at Leitand with the question _why _burning in his eyes. Leitand drew himself up defensively. "I wanted learn! No one teach, found way."

Sire let out a slight coughing sound, and for a second Leitand feared he was choking on something, though Sire only laughed when he went over to him worriedly. With a huff, Leitand decided to give him a tour of his clearing. "This old nest," he explained, moving towards where his growth measurements were. He was rather pleased to see that he had grown a fair amount once again. He pointed them out to Sire, who had come to see what he was looking at.

"This show… not know word," he said, frowning as he wondered how he would explain it. He decided that the best way was to just demonstrate. First, he crouched his body down as far to the ground as he could and made slight notch in the tree. Then he raised himself slightly and repeated the gesture, all the way until he reached his current full height, where he made a more permanent mark.

Sire spoke again. "Growth. Word for what you show," he explained, smiling at Leitand. He returned the smile and purred. He gestured to the other marks he used to show other growth.

"Wing growth, being growth," he said, pointing at the stones and scuff marks.

Sire warbled happily. "You big for age. You grow to be large kin, very large." That made Leitand purr all the harder.

The next thing he showed Sire was something that he took great pride in, at least now that the memory wasn't so fresh. He led the larger dragon over to where the boar bones were, long since picked clean by him and the birds. In doing so, he noticed that by now he was bigger than the boar had been. _I suppose it wasn't as large as I first thought, _he mused. He sat and waited for Sire to join him, and then pointed at the boar's tusks, and then towards the scar on his cheek and the scar on his tail. Sire's eyes grew to be very wide as he made the connection.

"You?" he asked. Leitand nodded, and then went over to his scratches to point out the lowest scratch on the tree bark. Sire did a double take, something he personally found to be very amusing. A scary looking dragon flinching from a simple paw gesture? Priceless. "Age?" Sire asked. Leitand blinked and tilted his head.

"One moon-cycle," he answered.

"Truly?" came the now expected question. Leitand nodded.

"Truly." Now that he knew that he was a hatchling, that particular event he deemed all the more impressive. And unbelievable if he hadn't been the one to experience it. The fact that Sire believed him spoke volumes. Then again, he did have the scars to prove it.

Sire took paused for a moment and seemed hesitant to ask something. Eventually, he began to speak. "Leitand," he began. "What age when Sire and Dam go?"

_Huh? _"You Sire, Sire," he responded, confused. Sire laughed and shook himself.

"I Sire but not Sire. I Velin. Sire means… male life giver," Sire explained. _Oh. _Unbidden memories flowed through him once again. Now he could place his brother calling their parents both Sire and Dam put the nail in the metaphorical coffin about how they felt about him. Leitand blinked.

"Dam name?" he asked first. Velin nodded, and seemingly braced himself. It reminded him of when his first adoptive parents revealed their intentions to him. _Wait, first? _He decided not to dwell on that thought.

"Eska," came Velin's short reply. Leitand nodded, and then looked at Velin sheepishly.

"I call Sire and Dam still?" he asked. It would help to move on, he knew. It also made his two caretakers happy when he called them that. The blue dragon let out another happy warble and bobbed his head. Leitand purred happily. "Old sire and dam go… I not know. Before conflict-scar," he said, answering the originally question while he resisted the urge to give away the lie. A sympathetic sound filled the air, and he quickly changed the topic. "Leitand name mean?"

Sire laughed. "Seeker. One who searches," he replied, nudging Leitand affectionately. Leitand tilted his head curiously.

"Why name?" he asked. Velin laughed once more, and flicked a tail at boar, towards the mountain, and then towards Leitand's scars.

"You danger seeker," he responded. Leitand had to agree that the name did indeed fit. _And if the shoe fits…_

After showing off the rest of the clearing and the surrounding area that he deemed important, Leitand and Velin returned to their nest, though Leitand couldn't resist showing off his flying skills to his sire, looping around the male repeatedly.

**(-)**

"How were lessons?" his Eska-life-mate asked as they returned to their den. Velin shook his head, amusement in his being.

"No lessons, Leitand-son-hatchling knew how to fly already. Our son-hatchling took me where he was living before," he responded, moving to curl against her so that she could groom him. He saw the curiosity in her blue-ocean eyes and simply nodded. "Truly."

"His age?" she asked, disbelief evident in her voice.

"He has five moon-cycles." He knew from experience what his life-mate was currently thinking. "Showed me cause of some of his conflict-scars as well. The one on cheek and the one on tail, near tail-fins."

His Eska-life-mate listened attentively as he spoke of what their son had told him, finishing with him revealing that they saw themselves as his parents, along with his ready acceptance of that fact and desire to maintain it. As he ended his tale, the subject of their conversation entered the den, his silver-moon eyes staring at them curiously. His Eska-life-mate flicked her tail in his direction, signaling for him to come near them. He did as requested and soon his life-mate was grooming both of them, filling the den with the sounds of purrs and hums.

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As more time passed, Leitand proved himself to be a quick study once again when it came to the draconic language, despite his initial slow start. Once he knew and understood enough words to ask coherent questions, and was able to understand the responses, his learning rate increased exponentially.

Their routine had changed once more, this time to allot for plenty of flying. Eska proved to be the better flier of his two adoptive parents, though Velin was by no means bad. She offered him many tips to improve his flight, such as what to look for in the weather, how to find a warm updraft, some tips on body posture and, of course, how maintaining a clean and polished set of scales would allow him to fly faster.

That last one he wasn't sure if he believed or not, but he was willing to at least take her word for it. It didn't hurt to look good as he flew, he knew. It also kept her happy. When it came to the more detailed tips and tricks, he was still without a teacher unfortunately. Neither Velin nor Eska were his type of dragon, and they could only offer so much advice because of it. The biggest issue was their lack of tail-fins and mid-fins. Secondaries, he had decided to call them.

But they still insisted that he practiced using them, figuring that he had them for a reason and they should be used for that reason. After a few weeks of practice with them, he had to admit that they were right. Using them allowed him to turn sharper, and they also lessened the strain on his wings, which allowed him to remain airborne longer. It constantly amazed him at how the littlest things could make such a huge difference in performance.

He grew a lot more in the coming months as well, leading to a lot of shedding, and by the time he was seven months old he was over half as tall as Velin, and was longer than Eska was. That made both of his parents happy, confirming Velin's theory that he would grow to be a very large dragon. He attributed his constant exercise and food supply to that. He ate more than enough for a dragon twice his size.

Eska had been very happy to learn that he was already a competent hunter, and Leitand took every opportunity he could to show off for them. Many a day passed with him removing all traces of his scent as he stalked Velin or Eska. Eska was significantly harder to sneak up on, though Velin wasn't oblivious. Any day that he was able to get the drop on Eska was a good one in his opinion, though she was never too pleased when he did so. Mostly because he had to get dirty in order to disguise his scent.

Velin taught him how to hunt larger prey, such as deer and boar. Leitand had joked that he was already an experienced boar hunter, though Eska was not amused. Velin had laughed at least, which made him purr. Hunting large prey proved to be a strong suit of his, which pleased both of his parents. He found himself glad, not for the first time, that he had practiced so much when he was on his own.

One thing that continued to bother him was Velin and Eska both being able to stay in the air for far longer than he could. He knew that that was, in part, due to their age difference and they were fully grown, but it still bothered him. He had thought that being able to stay in the air for over half a day was impressive, but they were able to do that as if it were no longer than ten minutes. Despite his failings, he continued to force himself into the air for as long as possible, and then longer after that.

When he was six months old, Eska and Velin took turns in teaching him to defend himself. That proved to be… interesting, to say the least. They both had a large arsenal at their disposal with both their fire and their spikes. Not to mention that their tails were living weapons themselves. Meanwhile, Leitand had his tail, teeth and claws.

When Eska had first used her fire in front of him, Leitand had been stupefied. He hadn't known that dragons could breathe fire, though afterwards he had felt like slamming his head into another tree, an activity he had that concerned his dam and sire. Fire breathing was a very common addition to any tales concerning dragons. Afterwards he had practically begged them to teach him, but they had told him that hatchlings couldn't breathe fire until they were at least a year old. That had put him in a poor mood.

In physical fighting he shined, which helped with his mood. His first attempt had landed him in the dirt, pinned by his sire, who had laughed. After he was given some pointers, such as not overextending himself and using his tail to cover behind him, he faired a little better. It had still taken him quite a while to get competent enough to be able to at least stand a chance.

When he had asked why he needed to learn to defend himself, Velin had sadly told him that the world was not kind and that there were many creatures that would want to hurt him. It was then that he had confirmation that humans existed in this world. From what he could tell, there was a lot of bad blood between dragons and humans. He also learned that there were some dragons enslaved to a much larger dragon species. He was certain that Velin had been exaggerating when he described the monster of a dragon to be the size of a mountain, but the older male had looked deadly serious. He decided that he never wanted to run into a dragon of that size.

After his first couple set-backs, he improved quickly at physical fighting. While he couldn't breathe fire, his sire and dam insisted that he learned to defend against it. His wings, for example, were apparently fire proof, as was most of his body. They had stressed that, while he couldn't be burnt by the fire, the concussion from the impact could still be powerful enough to injure him and it was an absolute _must _to protect his face and eyes from it. They also explained that enough heat and time could even burn through his by-now-thick scales. So, he wasn't quite as fireproof as he had been initially led to believe.

The first time a thunderstorm rolled in after they had learned he could fly, he had insisted that they come and at least watch him through the trees as he flew. Eska had first been against the idea, fearing he would get struck by lightning, but he had explained as best he could that it wasn't something they needed to worry about. She had begrudgingly agreed to trust his judgement.

Once he was airborne, he put every tiniest bit of skill he had into giving them a show. He would swoop down towards them at a speed that had Eska squawking in fear for him, only to rocket upwards when he was just above the treetops. During his upward climb, he spiraled and flipped and performed many complicated maneuvers that had very loud noises coming from his parents, before flipping upside-down as he dove towards them once more. He still felt that exhilarating rush of adrenaline flowing through his veins as he danced through the sky, roaring happily.

When he had finally returned to the den, thoroughly soaked and exhausted with a tired purr rumbling through his body, Velin had praised him deeply while Eska rolled her head and groomed him once more. They both asked him to show them again during the next storm as such, and he had promised that he would.

This became a common occurrence in their nest. Every thunderstorm, Leitand would put on an air show for them to their growing delight. He had made quite the figure during his flights, and soon enough, he wasn't the only one that became excited during a storm.

**(-)**

Leitand woke as he normally did, stretching his forepaws out in front of him as far as they could reach before doing the same with his tail, arching his back. He refrained from stretching out his wings for the time being, not wanting to wake his sire and dam. That inhibition was gone as soon as he was out of the den. He warbled happily as he stretched once more, breathing in the dew-soaked air.

With a yawn, he turned to face the den entrance and laid down, grooming a foreleg as he did so to get his blood flowing. _Always sleeping on it weirdly, _he thought with amusement. Deciding that he might as well continue the job, he proceeded to groom the rest of his body, sighing with irritation that he still wasn't able to reach a spot near the base of his neck. He solved that problem by rolling onto his back and using it to scratch the challenging spot. Not being able to reach it had made it a frequent itch location.

He perked up at the sounds of life coming from the den, and lazily rolled onto his belly to redo his left foreleg. This way he was able to watch the entrance for signs of movement, while not appearing like he was. A quick flash of green rewarded his efforts as Eska exited the den, stretching. "Good morning Leitand-son-hatchling," she warbled. He purred a greeting in return and looked around.

"Shall I hunt?" he asked. She gazed at him in amusement and rolled her head sharply.

"You always hunt," she responded. "Seeker indeed." She looked thoughtful, and he didn't respond. By now he knew her well enough to know she wasn't done speaking. "Yes, you hunt. Hatchling-eggs hatch soon, do not want to be away long," she finished. He purred again and rose to his paws.

He stopped before he exited the clearing and looked over his shoulder to gaze at her curiously. "Today?" he asked. His eyes widened as she bobbed her head and chirped an affirmative. His purr intensified. "Call for me before?" She bobbed her head once again and made a shooing gesture with her wings. Satisfied and amused, Leitand turned back to the forest and quickly disappeared into it.

After a brief pause to remove any trace of his scent, a task that by now took barely a minute, he stalked through the forest with all senses searching for any prey-sign. Today was going to be a busy day he knew, and he didn't want anyone to have to leave for longer than necessary. _They're hatching today! _The thought alone sent shivers of excitement running through his body. For a brief moment he wondered what he would do after they had hatched, as watching the eggs these past three months had been a very important task. _I suppose I need to get used to not being the littlest one._

Littlest was a relative term, he knew. He wasn't quite as tall as Eska was, but he was definitely longer and wider in body. Velin was still larger than him in every way, but he was catching up quick. The challenge to that was what he was currently doing: hunting. His body was larger and as such he couldn't fit under or through places he had when he was younger. It made for a challenge, though it was a welcome one.

The smell of deer brought him out of his thoughts, and he crouched lower to the ground, raising his nose to try and pin-point it. A brief moment later he located the trail and began to follow it, making sure to keep low to the ground. His eyes strained as he tried to spot it, the scent getting stronger. _There, _he thought, a flash of brown catching his attention. Moving as fast as he could without giving away his position, he snuck around it until he was facing its side. His eyes narrowed intently, and he crept closer, now unable to smell anything but the musky scent of the grazing buck.

Springing himself forward, he crashed down onto its back as his weight drove the deer to the ground, it letting out a bleat of terror as he did so. Closing his powerful jaws on its neck, he quickly jerked his head, snapping its neck. The noise stopped as the powerful taste of blood entered his mouth. Satisfaction coursed through him as he released his jaws from around it.

_Big enough for the two of them, _he thought smugly. _I can catch something for myself later. _That thought in mind, he began to drag it back towards the den, disappointed that he couldn't carry it efficiently and off the ground without putting it on his back. He refused to do that for a number of reasons.

It took him longer than he had thought it would to return to the den, and by the time he did so his neck was aching. Normally he would have taken a few breaks, but today he didn't want to waste any time._ I need to work on that, _he thought as he dragged the deer into the den. He didn't think Eska would mind having it in there today, though he made a mental note to remove what was left after they had eaten. He murred a greeting from around the deer's neck, Velin and Eska having looked towards the entrance as soon as they'd smelt the deer.

"The hunt was successful, Leitand-son?" Velin asked, standing up to help situate the deer. Leitand's head jerked back in surprise at his sire dropping the 'hatchling' description that was attached to his name. He let the deer fall out of his maw as his sire carried it towards Eska.

"Yes Sire. I hunt again for mine, this yours," he replied, pointing his nose at the buck. They both warbled at him in gratitude and started to eat. "I not hatchling?" he asked, tilting his head.

Eska chuffed in amusement and gazed at him. "No. You grown enough to hunt that," she also pointed her nose at the deer. "You not hatchling. You have seven moon-cycles as well, that typical age kin become a 'young'."

Leitand purred his happiness at the life promotion, though he knew it wasn't anything truly in his control. "How long?" he asked, changing the topic as Eska began to eat as well. Velin glanced at the eggs, chirping happily as one jolted.

"They fight to escape now. Not long, before sun is half-way through journey," he answered. Leitand's eyes widened.

"I will hunt then. Fast," he told them, and quickly bolted out of the den and into the forest.

Excitement drummed into his paws as he hunted, eager to get back so that he didn't miss anything. _Who knew I would ever be so excited to see eggs hatch? _he thought with some amusement. He caught sight of a squirrel sitting on a raised tree root. _Ah, my old nemesis…_

After eating two squirrels and a few rather large mice, he ran back to the den as quickly as he could, almost colliding with a tree in his haste. _That would have been embarrassing. _He distinctly remembered when he had last ran into a tree, over a month ago. He had been racing Velin and had passed him after the large male had slowed to avoid a particularly mean looking thicket of thorns. As he looked back to laugh at his sire, he had stopped paying attention to what was in front of him. That particular instance had resulted in a lot of fun being poked his way, as well as the important reminder that trees do _not _move.

He darted into the den, skidding to a halt as he did so. Eska chirped at him in annoyance, as his slide had sent a lot of dust and dirt into the air of the den. He lowered his head apologetically and whined. She huffed and gestured with her wing for him to sit in front of her so she could groom him. He happily did so, purring as his scales were cleaned once again.

"Attention Seeker," she started crossly, nipping at a twig that had caught in one of his ear flaps. "Sometimes I think you dirty yourself just to irritate me. You are very handsome, you should not hide that."

His purr intensified, and he leaned back into her with a happy warble. "You are best cleaner," he replied honestly. Velin chuffed in both amusement and agreement, and Eska chirped happily.

They fell into a contented silence for a while, none of them wanting to move as they enjoyed each other's company and watched the twitching eggs. After Eska decided that he was clean enough and turned her ministrations towards Velin, Leitand cleared the remains of the deer he had brought in earlier. Before he got too far with it, Velin stopped him and removed the antlers and a long leg bone, which he set down in a corner. Though he was curious, Leitand didn't question his actions and just continued to clear out the den.

When he returned, he glanced at Velin curiously. "Why you keep horns and bone?" he asked. The large blue dragon pointed his nose at the eggs.

"When hatched, they will want to bite much. Would prefer bone over tail," he responded, gaining a laugh from Leitand and Eska. Leitand nodded in understanding and laid down to wait.

They didn't have to wait long. A sharp snapping sound broke the relative silence, and all eyes were drawn towards the eggs. More sounds followed by a soft squeak. Leitand found himself to be holding his breath as a light blue head erupted from the egg.

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**Well now. Dare I say that a **_**lot **_**happened in this chapter. Honestly, it was a struggle to keep the word count at around the 7k word mark. In the end I had to just choose some things to cut that weren't important or move them to the next chapter. I suppose I can increase the word count per chapter, but a certain amount of consistency is appreciated, no? Ah, no matter.**

**Special thanks to my Beta for his assistance, as well as to Deadly-Bagel for his. And yes, the MFP is no more. I wonder who all will remember it in the future? Hmmm…**

**I hope you all enjoyed! And let me know your thoughts. Honestly, this is probably my favorite chapter in the prologue. And the name 'Leitand' is actually not a name, but to English speakers it can certainly sound like one. It's based off of an Icelandic word for, you guessed it, Seeker.**

**Till next time.**

**-Aelan**


	4. Chapter 4

**Update 14/06/19 (6/14/2019):**** Fixed an issue and added a scene that helps to set up the next chapter, after I unfortunately spaced on it. My apologies, but it is necessary! The scene added is towards the end, and showcases a bit more about Falan and how he his as an individual. Again, my apologies! And no, it will not be a common occurrence to do this lol.**

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**Welcome to chapter four!**

**Things will be changing in story here soon, so consider this a heads up. I hope you all enjoy! Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing, I greatly appreciate it. This chapter and one more on Saturday, but then remember, I'm taking a week off to catch up on my buffer. So don't panic! Story isn't going anywhere lol.**

**Enjoy the chapter! I'll see you at the closing AN.**

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**Chapter 4**

The blue hatchling broke out of its shell, squawking loudly. Having tasted freedom, it lunged forward with a chirp of happiness, breaking the rest of the egg and sending the hatchling tumbling over the edge of the nest. Leitand quickly brought his tail underneath it, purring as it landed safely with an indignant squeal. Velin and Eska rumbled their approval at his actions, and Eska bobbed her head.

"Clean her," she ordered him. When he hesitated, she sighed in annoyance. "Leitand-son, you know how to clean. Three of us, three hatchlings. Each need cleaning."

The hatchling had looked up at the one who had caught her and had started to stumble over his tail towards his head, chirping questioningly. Leitand purred and used his forepaws to bring her into his chest where he began to clear her scales of bits of broken egg and whatever fluid was in it. He was only grateful that it didn't have any discernable taste, as even with his acceptance of dragon mannerisms, he still found the idea disturbing.

The hatchling chirped and cooed under his ministrations, to all their amusement. He felt his heart began to melt when she began to rub her head furiously into his chest, still chirping. He chuffed in amusement. "She little singer," he warbled, laughing.

Eska and Velin chirped their approval at his comment. "She Sonvari then," Eska responded. Leitand's ears perked in surprise, and he looked up from the newly named Sonvari.

"Not too soon for name?" he asked, tilting his head. Velin shook his head, laughing.

"No age for name to be given, only wait for actions to determine name," he explained, looking at his daughter with a deep love in his eyes. It made Leitand both happy and sad to see. "You point out good quality in her. Sonvari is good name," Velin finished. Leitand's purr grew louder, delighting Sonvari. He lowered his head until he was nose-to-nose with her.

"Greetings, Sonvari-sister-hatchling," he purred. She squawked back at him in response. Eska chuffed in approval.

More sounds of an egg breaking put a halt to any further conversation, and all eyes turned towards the nest, including his new sister's. She chirped curiously and moved to escape Leitand's hold on her. Reminded of his task by that, he blocked her from moving further away and pulled her back into his chest, where he proceeded to gently clean her while ignoring her indignant cries. He made sure to keep an eye on the nest though, as did Sonvari, who poked her head over his paws to look.

Soon a dark green head broke through the top of the egg, and they were joined by another hatchling. This one he knew was a male, and Eska made sure to scoop it out of the nest before it could fall. There she did as Leitand was doing, though he noticed she was far more efficient at it. He continued his now constant purr, and Velin rumbled happily as well.

Their latest addition didn't seem to like the attention as much as Sonvari had. He pressed himself firmly against Eska, looking out at them with nervous eyes. Velin noticed this and laughed. "He nervous," he noted. Eska and Leitand both hummed in agreement.

The third egg was a slightly different experience for all of them. It didn't seem able to escape from the egg, and they could all hear irritated squawks coming from it. When it finally broke the top of the shell, Velin used the horn on his nose to help open the egg for it. Then he let out a squawk of surprise, and quickly jerked his head up. The newly hatched blue dragon was hanging from it by its teeth.

Eska and Leitand both laughed loudly at the image, with Velin crossing his eyes to look at the hatchling closer, another male Leitand observed. "This one is biter," Velin said, shaking his head gently.

Eska smiled at that. "Then he is Falan," she warbled. Velin nodded his head sagely, finally dislodging the hatchling. He quickly wrapped the now named Falan in his wings and began to clean him, much to his enjoyment.

After he had cleaned her to his satisfaction, Leitand finally let his little sister escape his grasp. She immediately sprinted over to Eska to poke her nose at the unnamed hatchling. Chirping questioningly at him, she flapped her wings. The hatchling squawked a reply back at her, and Leitand was reminded of the few memories of his own brother, which made him croon sadly.

Eska noticed his change in mood and tilted her head. "Leitand-son," she began. He turned his attention towards her. "You had sibling-hatchlings?"

Leitand forced a purr. "Have one sister-hatchling and two brother-hatchlings," he responded, pointing his nose towards the hatchlings as he labeled them. Eska rolled her head and hummed her amusement.

"Not what meant, but will not question," she told him, blinking sympathetically at him. He purred happily.

"Need food?" he asked after some time had passed. Eska and Velin looked at each other, and then towards him, amusement evident in their gazes. Eska looked at her mate.

"Seems we need not worry about who watches new-hatchlings," she said, rolling her head. "Attention Seeker seeks to replace us as hunters."

Velin laughed loudly as Leitand lowered his head slightly. "Yes," he said, also rolling his head. "We need never leave nest now." They laughed together.

Leitand sat up to his full height, stretching his wings and flashing his chest. "I best hunter in nest," he bragged. "No need others to hunt when I here." He crouched down and pounced on an invisible animal to demonstrate. Eska and Velin both chuffed their amusement, while Falan and the unnamed hatchling were staring at him with wide eyes. Both tried to mimic his grandiose gesture, bringing more laughter. Sonvari tried to replicate his pounce, though it did not work as well, as she only had two legs.

Velin rolled his head again. "Seems Leitand-son has admirers," he observed, waving a wing at the hatchlings. Leitand huffed haughtily and flicked his head to the side.

"What not to admire?" he asked, flicking his tail and raising a paw to pose. More laughter.

"Yes, you hunt," Eska finally said, glancing down at her children. "Be back soon." Leitand nodded, and quickly exited the den.

He decided he would fish this time, as he found them to be the easiest to swallow when he was younger. As he approached the river, he made a mental note to catch little fish over bigger ones. _Can't have my new siblings choking, now can I? _he mused, moving to sit alongside the water. _It's unfortunate that I didn't practice this as much._

Poising with his paw over the water, he waited. He saw plenty of fish to be sure, but he was being more selective in his catching. Spying an appropriately sized fish, he quickly darted his paw into the water. Feeling his claws catch in the flesh and pin the fish to a submerged rock, he resisted the urge to crow his achievements. He quickly dipped his head towards it to catch it in his teeth, before flinging it over his shoulder.

He wasn't sure how long he had spent fishing, but as soon as he felt he had a decent pile he decided to head back towards the den. Looking down at the sizeable pile, he realized that he had no idea as to how to bring it all back to them. Groaning, he slammed his head into the dirt, grinding the grass into a pulp at his idiocy. _Well, I suppose I can carry them in my mouth, _he realized. _Not like they would complain. _Having decided, he made sure that his teeth were sheathed and brought as much of the pile into his maw as he could, pleased that he had managed so much.

As quick as he could without dropping any of his catch, he made his way back towards the den, humming his arrival once he stood in the entrance. Hearing a relieved squawk, he made his way in, dropping the pile from his mouth next to the nest itself.

"Attention Seeker," Eska spoke, humming her approval at his choice of food, though she looked slightly irritated. "Said be back soon, not be slow. Thought you best hunter in nest?" She cocked her head to the side as she spoke.

Leitand dipped his head, chastised. "Catch fish not like catch deer," he complained. "Not same, not hunting. But I did catch quick, just did not know how to bring back." Velin chuffed in amusement, seeing to it that the hatchlings, who were currently gnawing on the bone and antlers, ate their first meal. Eska rolled her head, squawking in amusement.

"Swallow then bring up, is not hard," she responded, narrowing her eyes. Leitand's eyes widened as he realized that he could have indeed done that, but then he frowned in confusion.

"Not know how," he apologized, dipping his head.

She huffed once more and decided to just drop the subject. "No matter, Leitand-son. I will teach you." She pointed her nose towards the three gorging hatchlings. "Is good way to bond with hatchling-siblings." Leitand perked up at that and began to purr happily. Hearing the sound, Sonvari looked at him and squawked, catching his attention. He lowered his nose until he was level with her, humming curiously.

She squawked again, and rubbed her nose against his, making a strange sound as she did so. At first, he was confused, but then he realized that she was trying to purr, which made him purr all the harder as he returned her nuzzle. Velin chuffed his approval. Losing interest, Sonvari returned to the now greatly diminished pile of fish.

"Need more fish, eat more than I do," he observed, gaining a snort from Eska.

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Life over the next month proved to be exhausting for Leitand. What little time he didn't spend hunting or fishing, he dedicated towards playing with his new siblings. Sonvari seemed to be the most attached to him and would repeatedly get jealous if he spent too much time playfighting with Falan or grooming the recently named Falith. Their dam and sire found this to be very amusing, and teased Leitand immensely.

For his part, Leitand just found it to be extremely adorable and would always ignore their jabs or respond in kind. Usually it was the latter, but sometimes he chose discretion to be the better part of valor. Eska might have been very caring, but she could still pin him down and groom him rather forcibly. While she was normally gentle or just the right amount of tough, these particular sessions had Leitand squirming to escape.

He found that he was growing quite the soft spot for his sister, something she seemed to appreciate. Despite that, he loved all of his siblings almost equally. Falan proved to be very adventurous, and he loved to playfight. Falith on the other paw, was what Leitand would describe as a recluse. However, of all the hatchlings, it was Falith that would emulate Leitand the most.

Velin noticed this rather quickly, and as such asked that Leitand be the one to teach him how to hunt. Those lessons started much faster than he had anticipated, though he would never tell his sire no. When it came to learning how to speak, Leitand was distraught to see that they were progressing much faster in their speech than he had. While he might have been older, they rapidly approached his level of understanding. It surprised him, thoughts of how a human takes years in order to learn to speak properly running through his mind. It was more than a little disconcerting, though he couldn't complain much.

With Falith, it seemed that all he wanted to be was like Leitand. He took to his lessons fiercely, though Leitand had to adapt it to match a dragon that walked on two legs as opposed to four. The hardest part, he had found, was convincing his sibling to disguise his scent.

"Get dirty? On purpose?!" Falith would ask, looking as though Leitand had lost his mind. He would only huff in irritation and promise that he would clean him himself after they were done. After much more bribing, Falith would grudgingly accept and do as he'd been shown.

His tone changed substantially after Leitand and himself snuck up on their sire and Falan. They had crept quietly, with Leitand leading until they were only a few wingspans away. Glancing over his shoulder at Falith mischievously, he poked a paw at him and then towards Falan. His brother's eyes gleamed, and he bobbed his head to show he agreed. Turning back to face the duo, Leitand narrowed his eyes at his sire. With a flick of his tail, the ambush was sprung, mighty shouts arising from the attackers.

Falan was bowled over immediately, quickly getting pinned by Falith. Velin squawked in surprise as his eldest tackled him, knocking him to the ground as well. The victorious duo roared their victory to the skies, before quickly getting off their victims, Leitand purring happily at a successful mission. While he had a sneaking suspicion that Velin had let himself be defeated, he knew that they both had had no idea that they were being hunted. Such was evident in the pride in their sire's eyes as he gazed at them.

After that successful session, Falith was much more open to his brother's teachings. He was rapidly showing to be a promising hunter, something that made both Velin and Eska inordinately proud, not to mention Leitand himself.

Shortly after, life changed for the family greatly. The winter snows had finally arrived, and with them the promise of months of hunger and cold. Leitand, now almost nine months of age, was surprised to find that the cold didn't bother him as much as he'd have thought, though it made sense when he realized that he scarcely noticed the temperature changing in either way. He was surprised that it hadn't snowed sooner, though Velin explained to him that it had been a rather mild winter last year.

It seemed that the cold wasn't as great a threat to a family of dragons as starvation, and Leitand swore that he would not let that happen. Now confident in the knowledge that he wasn't in danger of freezing, at least during the daytime, he spent the majority of his days hunting. At first, prey was still relatively easy to find. After a month into winter however, it became much harder. Leitand and Velin both went further and further away from the den, though Leitand was always the one to go the furthest. Velin couldn't bring himself to stray too far away from his children and mate, though he knew they must in order to survive.

Despite its hardships, Leitand found that he rather enjoyed the winter. While he was certain that he would mostly likely freeze to death if he remained out in the elements for too long, he was happy to know that he'd always have a nice warm den to return to after the challenges of the day. His siblings, now at the age of two months, kept their dam busy and prevented her from worrying about Velin and Leitand as they braved the storms to bring them food. They were all happy when the older males returned though.

Leitand had continued to grow, though he'd noticed that the rate at which he did so had slowed immensely. Growing also meant shedding, and many a night he witnessed Sonvari and Falan playing with his shed scales. At ten months old, he found himself to be as tall as Eska, though he was now as long as Velin. Along with his body, his wings grew to a large size as well, to where he could easily drape them over his siblings with plenty of room left over. It made keeping everyone warm much easier, though it helped a lot that Velin had taken it upon himself to block the entrance to the den during the night. Their sleeping arrangements turned into the lot of them sleeping as one large pile, with the younger dragons in the center of it, surrounded by Leitand who in turn was surrounded by Eska and Velin. He may have grown, but they still viewed him as their hatchling.

For Leitand, these nights proved to be a highlight of his. He loved waking up in a warm den surrounded by those that loved and cared for him. While he was normally the first to wake up, he was always the most reluctant to move, beyond Sonvari that is. She took to cuddling her larger brother with a drive that surprised him, though Eska and Velin didn't bat an eye.

"You big-brother-sibling," she told him, as though that answered all of his questions concerning her behavior to him. Then again, maybe it did.

The coldest night of the year proved to be an interesting one for Leitand. To start, he spent the entire day hunting again, going very far into the mainland, though he was careful to avoid any sign of humans or other dragons, not that he saw any. For all intents and purposes, their peninsula seemed to be deserted barring them and the prey animals that remained.

He came back far later than usual, though not empty pawed. He had chanced upon a decent sized doe and had brought it down quickly. The real issue had been in him bringing it back to the den, as it was small enough to carry in flight but only in short bursts. What time he didn't spend flying, he spent dragging the deer.

When he finally did return, it was well past midnight and the temperature was in dangerous levels, even for him as a dragon. Sonvari and Velin were waiting for him, Eska having finally convinced the brothers to sleep. Upon seeing him, steadfastly tugging a deer towards them, they had both rushed out to meet him, Sonvari squawking in relief. Velin was quieter, but the look in his eye told Leitand that he had been worried as well. His sire had taken the doe from him, easily carrying it into the den as Sonvari ran around her older brother, chirping and humming in concern. Despite his exhaustion and the cold that had penetrated deep under his scales, Leitand found a warmth blossoming even deeper. He purred and nosed his sister to tell her that he was fine.

Before he had reached the den entrance, Falan and Falith had rushed out to him as well. Then Eska appeared, ushering them all inside with her wings. Velin blocked the entrance, and then directed the younglings towards the recently heated up deer carcass. Dragon fire was a useful thing, it would seem.

As they had torn into it, Eska had settled Leitand down and had begun to groom him. He had sighed blissfully and filled the air of the den with a loud purr, finding himself almost falling asleep. He became more alert when he felt another begin to groom him as well, a smaller one. Sonvari had decided that she wanted to help her dam in caring for him. He fell asleep, warm and happy thoughts filling his head.

The rest of the winter was mostly uneventful. All four of the young dragons continued to grow, though the younger three grew the fastest. Thanks to Leitand and Velin's efforts, they were never lacking for food. It wasn't as much as it was during the summer and fall to be sure, but it was more than adequate to allow them to grow. That fact alone made him feel very lucky that he had ended up where he did. The peninsula seemed to be a near perfect haven, few threats for a dragon of his size and prey that ran all year long.

When Leitand was a year old, now considered to be in the early stages of adulthood or perhaps his later teens, his growth rate seemingly stopped. Eska had told him that he was nearing his adult size, and that after this next year he would be at his adult size. That thought made him purr, happy knowing that he would most likely be as tall as his sire. For the time being, he was just barely shorter than Velin, though his bulk was on par. Now Velin didn't have to let him win during play fights; he won often enough without it. Velin was still the more competent fighter, but Leitand was fast approaching his level.

The weather began to warm, and Leitand and Velin no longer had to search quite as long or far for prey. As the snows melted, Eska had banned the youngest three from going anywhere near the river without either herself, Velin or Leitand around to observe them. The water had risen drastically, and what he remembered to once be a large creek was now a fast moving, dangerous and large river.

By the time the hatchlings had reached six months of age, all of the snow had melted and Leitand found himself once again in the months of spring and summer.

**(-)**

Leitand crept closer to the fattening deer, Falith only a few steps behind him. His younger brother had grown a lot during these past six months, now almost as large as he himself had been at that age, but he had not had the time to practice hunting any large game until now. Pride coursed through his body at how quiet his sibling was being, made all the better that he had been the one to teach him. Pausing, he quietly shifted to the side to allow Falith to become level with him. Locking eyes with his smaller brother, he gestured towards the deer. Falith's eyes narrowed as he turned towards their prey, and he shifted on his haunches subtly. Leitand observed with approval. _I've taught him well,_ he prided himself.

Moving faster than he had expected him to, Leitand watched as Falith sprung at the deer, his large mouth clamping around its throat before it could make a noise. A crack filled the air, and the deer went limp. Leitand stood up with a loud purr. _Yes!_

"Well done, Falith-brother-sibling," he purred, moving forward to nose him affectionately. Falith squawked his appreciation and returned the nuzzle, pride in his eyes. "Worth being dirty?"

His nest-mate rolled his head in thought, before bobbing it happily. "Yes, Leitand-brother-teacher," he chirped, looking at the deer. "Was easier than thought." For a moment, he almost looked disappointed. Leitand nudged him again.

"Easy good. Means no threat, and filled bellies," he responded sagely. Falith bobbed his head, still looking disappointed. Leitand continued. "Do not think it easy, it not. Think instead you becoming great hunter." His brother perked up, meeting his gaze.

"Good as you?" he asked, cocking his head. Leitand purred harder, closing his eyes.

"Do not be as good as me, be better. You be great hunter, are great hunter," he responded, nosing him again. _Wisdom flies from my mouth, _he thought with some amusement. He found it to be rather ironic that he, the aptly named 'Danger Seeker', was saying anything remotely resembling wisdom. Falith hummed his pleasure. Cracking an eye in mischief, Leitand nudged him slightly harder, causing him to stumble. "Good as me when you carry it on own."

Falith squawked in mock rage and leapt at him, Leitand laughing hard as he let himself be driven to the ground. Darting his head around, he nipped at his younger brother's shoulder, gaining a small chirp of surprise. While he was distracted, Leitand easily dislodged him, swatting his fallen brother affectionately with his tail. "Later," he told him, walking towards the deer. "Now we bring back prey and tell Sire and Dam about their mighty Falith-son-hatchling's victory."

Falith chirped in agreement, and quickly sank his teeth into the deer's leg, before beginning to drag it back towards their den. Leitand watched in amusement as the younger male struggled to tug the carcass, before he deftly picked it up by its neck, lifting it high above his sibling. Then he bolted away, ignoring the indignant cries of his younger brother.

"You had a good hunt then?" Velin asked as he appeared in their clearing. Leitand made eye contact and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, not setting down the deer yet. His sire chuffed in amusement, shaking his head. "Where is your brother-sibling?"

He set the deer down to answer, but a panting Falith erupting from the trees answered for him. "There," Leitand said, poking a paw in his direction. Velin chuffed again, which turned into laughter when the younger male tackled Leitand, drawing a yelp of surprise from him. The two scuffled in the grass for a time, Leitand greatly exaggerating his opponent's abilities. When they finally stopped, Leitand was laying on his side with a victorious Falith squawking his triumph atop him.

Velin shook his head, love and pride in his eyes, as Falith hopped off of Leitand. The younger male strutted towards the deer, flaring his wings in a grandiose manner. Leitand rolled his eyes. _Hey, you stole that from me!_ "Thief," he muttered, referring to the gesture. Falith laughed. Laying down, he turned his attention towards their amused sire, beginning to groom his left foreleg. "Truly though, the hunt for me was slow. Falith-brother-sibling caught only prey." He had added that last almost as if an afterthought, nipping at some grass caught in his claws. His sire's eyes widened, and he turned his gaze towards the proud Falith.

"Truly?" he asked. Falith bobbed his head excitedly and Leitand nonchalantly waived a paw. His true emotions were betrayed, however, by his flicking tail. Velin hummed in pride and went to nuzzle his younger son in excitement. "Well done," he complimented. Falith preened and rubbed his head against his sire's nose. Velin squawked once and took a step back to look at them.

"Much to do this sun-cycle," he started, gaining Leitand's attention. He tilted his head and perked his ears, curious. "You learn to fly, as do Sonvari and Falan." Velin nudged his younger son for effect, and he let out an excited chirp. Then he turned to Leitand. "And you, Leitand-son, learn to flame."

Leitand's eyes widened as he leapt to his paws, suddenly very animated. "Truly?" he asked, tail and wings quivering. At his sire's nod and hum of confirmation, he took off, sprinting around his sire and brother with an excited warble. Falith found his enthusiasm contagious, and soon both of them were sprinting around the large green dragon, who just watched with amusement.

"Calm," Velin spoke, chuffing in amusement. He extended a wing to block Leitand's path, causing the young male to slide to a halt. Unable to stop in time, Falith collided with him. Velin rolled his head and snapped his gaze on his younger son. "Wait for your dam and siblings to return. Leitand-son, she will teach you." Leitand sat on his haunches and nodded furiously, his tail waving behind him to knock against his brother repeatedly. Falith watched it with irritation, and when it had hit him for the sixth time, he leapt at it, biting down hard.

Leitand yelped in surprise and pain, whipping around to bat this latest pest from his tail. Velin huffed tiredly as his sons began to scuffle once more, resigning himself to observe them. _This seems to be awfully familiar, _Leitand thought as he bit his brother's tail. _A common occurrence I suppose_.

"Attention Seeker!" Eska's voice broke through his thoughts and play. He and Falith immediately ceased moving, each biting the other's tail as they looked up at her. _Shit, we've done it now, _he thought, visions of being licked until his scales were gone and his skin raw filling his head. His dam looked at him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"It not enough to dirty yourself constantly?" she asked, stalking towards them. Sonvari and Falan were only a short distance behind her, Sonvari looking at him with amusement and Falan with sympathy. "Now you dirty Falith-son-hatchling as well?" She rolled her head and huffed. "Up, both of you." They immediately released each other and leapt to their paws. Leitand noticed that by now he was taller than her by a fair amount, and if he really wanted to, she would be unable to punish him at all. But he was Leitand, the Danger Seeker, the Thrill Seeker! _Seeker, not runner._

"Leitand-son," she spoke again as she turned towards the forest, flicking her tail for him to follow her. He started after her, following diligently and only stopping to briefly nose his little sister. Sonvari hummed her affection and took off towards where Velin had her other brothers gathered.

His previous excitement returned as he followed her, knowing that he was finally going to learn how to breathe fire. _Seriously, how cool is that?! _he asked himself, snapping his teeth at a curious squirrel that was chittering above them. It disappeared up the tree, and he purred his accomplishment. _All fear Leitand, the mighty vanquisher of squirrels!_

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Eska was in a good mood, despite the irritation her Leitand-dark-son raised in her. She looked over her shoulder to see her now-large-son snapping at a small-quick-prey in the trees, and hummed her amusement as he began to purr. His purr was a sound that she had initially found strange, having never heard it before, but now she couldn't imagine a day without hearing it. His eyes met hers, those silver-grey eyes staring at her with love and mischief evident in them, and she felt a surge of love for her dark-son well up inside her being.

"Your hunt was good," she told him, smiling. His purr intensified, and she found herself humming to match it.

"Yes Dam, but I caught nothing," he told her in his smooth voice, so matching his eyes. She tilted her head quizzically, seeing nothing but honesty and pride in his eyes now. Her own widened.

"Falith-son-hatchling caught that prey?" she squawked. Her dark-son bobbed his head excitedly, and her hum increased in volume. She smiled brightly as she turned to check in front of her. Pride and happiness and love for her quiet-son filled her being. "This is good. He has good teacher." More love entered her at her eldest's louder purr.

She heard his paw-steps pick up in pace, before matching hers again. She tilted her head to stare at him, curious, and laughed as he began to strut regally, his wings slightly raised and his head tilted upwards, the look completed with his tail being curled slightly and his eyes closed. She bumped him with her head, causing him to stumble.

"Attention Seeker always," she laughed, rolling her head. He warbled his happiness and fell back to his place behind her.

_Curious, _she mused, rattling her spines as she dipped around a tree, humming. _What will my Leitand-dark-son's flame look like?_

**(-)**

"No! Two parts of flame, not one! Two breaths, breathed as one, not different. You not twin-scale-kin," Eska chuffed, exasperated. Leitand growled irritably.

_Two parts for fire, not one, but then two breaths as one? What in the hell is she going on about? _he wondered, narrowing his eyes at the still as of yet un-scorched rock. It felt like they'd been at this for hours, and he wasn't the only one feeling the strain. "You say this, but I still not understand," he moaned, closing his eyes and rubbing his head.

"Clearly," she huffed. She rolled her head and snapped her teeth together. "Leitand-son, you good hunter, you good flier, you good fighter. You be good flamer, but you _must _understand! Is not hard!"

He sighed and sat back on his haunches, glaring at the rock. "What twin-scale-kin?" he asked her, trying to take his mind off the issue for a break. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes.

She rolled her head again. "Twin-scale-kin is kin with two heads. Need both heads to flame," she explained. Leitand's eyes widened, and he faced her fully.

"Truly?" he asked. She warbled an affirmative and bobbed her head. "What kin are you and other family?"

She blinked at him. "Us bright-scale," she explained, as though it were obvious. He blinked back at her. Realization dawned in her eyes and her expression softened. "Sorry Leitand-son, I had forgotten."

_Wait, she forgot I wasn't the same type of dragon as her? _he wondered, shocked. He felt a touch of happiness fill his chest at the thought. _I'm really one of her own. _"What kin am I?" he asked, tilting his head.

This time she seemed uncertain. "Not sure," she responded after some time had passed. "Not seen your kin before you. Dark-scale maybe? Night-scale?"

He frowned again. Then he perked up, almost as quickly. "No name, we make name. Thinking… Royal-scale!" he spoke, flaring his wings in his signature grandiose manner. She laughed, shaking her head.

"Royal-scale? No," she told him, still laughing. "You Attention Seeker enough, not need more." Leitand wilted, causing her to laugh again.

"Dark-scale or night-scale then? Why not moon-scale?" he asked.

She tilted her head, thinking. "No, scales not color of moon," she finally responded. He huffed, growing disappointed.

"Well you bright-scale, me dull-scale then?" he asked, looking down at his black paws despondently. She squawked irritably and went over to nip his shoulder, hard. He yelped, and looked at her, hurt.

"Silly. Your scales not dull, you very handsome kin with scales that shine," she told him, licking the top of his head affectionately. His mood lightened, and he began to purr softly.

"Truly?" he warbled questioningly. She hummed her answer, beginning to groom him once more.

"Truly," she told him as she continued to groom him. "When time come for you to leave and find own mate, of your own kin, you have no trouble. None at all."

His purr intensified, though the comment about a mate raised a lot of questions for him. _I… never really thought about having a family of my own, _he mused. _That means that I would have to mate with a… hmm. You know what, I'm not going to dwell on that. I'm a dragon after all, and dragons… well, they create little dragons with other dragons. _

He turned his thoughts back to his more immediate dilemma, that of breathing fire. _Two headed dragon needs two heads to breathe their fire, _he thought, as Eska moved to by his wings. It took her a lot longer to groom him now that he was so much bigger, and it was often easier for him to just do it himself. However, she wanted to do it and he wouldn't complain. It really did feel quite nice. _She said that there are two breaths. What does a fire need to come into existence? A heat source, a fuel source and oxygen._

Realization dawned on him. _Oh! So, she means that there is a 'breath' for heat and a 'breath' for fuel! Oxygen we wouldn't need to worry about, but the other two…_

He narrowed his eyes at the rock once more and took a deep breath. Slowly releasing it, he felt for anything inside of him that would signify heat or fuel. Feeling a slight tingle at the back of his throat, he excitedly opened his mouth and tried to project it outward. The tingle intensified and then…

A purple shower of sparks erupted from his maw, but nothing else. He frowned, as Eska perked up upon hearing the noise.

"You did it?!" she warbled, excited. He huffed, and shook his head, turning to face her. He showered the air in front of him with more purple sparks. She stared, and then started humming. "Pretty, very pretty," she told him, and sent a few sparks of her own white fire out to join his. "But not flame."

He shook his head, cutting off the flow of sparks with a sigh. "Is difficult," he complained. His dam hummed her agreement, nosing him gently.

"Most things are, if they not worthless," she told him. He nodded in agreement, purring once more. "Keep trying."

He rested his eyes on her for a moment, before turning back to the rock with determination in his gaze. Taking another deep breath, he let it out slowly. Once more, he tried finding anything different in his throat or mouth that could signify the 'fuel'. Feeling something new once again, something that felt like a weird bit of pressure in his throat. He concentrated on adding that to his sparks.

There was a soft sound that sounded similar to a blow-torch, and he saw small tongues of purple flame erupting from his maw. Eska squawked in pride at his accomplishment, and nosed him once more, before adding her own small tongue of flame to join his. _Yes! Yes, yes, yes!_

**(-)**

The first thunderstorm of spring and summer saw Leitand back in his element once more, though now he had a much larger audience. Sonvari was wowed by her brother's elegance and grace in the storm and found that she herself wanted to experience that joy and delight that he was experiencing now. Eska would not allow it, not wanting to risk any more of her children, despite Leitand's assurances that the lightning would not harm him.

While she might have been banned from flying during an actual storm, Sonvari still tried to practice her dark brother's sky dance. In her, Leitand found a star pupil. Falan was a graceful flier, but he couldn't hold a candle to Sonvari. In this, she followed in her older brother's paw-steps. While he definitely had the advantage due to experience, Leitand couldn't refute her skill and talent in the air.

As time passed, Leitand and his siblings continued to grow. Falith seemed to be following in his sire's, and Leitand's, paw-steps. He grew quickly, and by the time he was a year old he was nearing Velin's height and size. Sonvari and Falan grew quickly as well, but Falith remained the largest. Sonvari was only slightly larger than Falan, and all were larger than Eska. Their dam was still the unrefuted ruler of the nest, however. If dam wasn't happy, no one was happy.

During their first full summer, Leitand continued to work at and improve on his flaming ability, though he didn't take to it quite as naturally as the physical aspects of being a dragon. He was an excellent hunter, a decent fighter and an outstanding flier, but when it came to flaming, he remained the least gifted. When his siblings began to learn how to harness their power after their first year, they made progress much quicker than he had. After only two months of practice, they were at his level, and a month after they all far exceeded him.

He knew that their success, in part, was the result of them being the same species of dragon as Eska and Velin, who could more accurately show and explain to them how their fire worked. That did nothing to lessen their accomplishments, however.

While it was admittedly slow, and tested both his and Eska's patience, Leitand did eventually master his fire, or at least became competent with its use. He found that breathing out while forming his flame resulted in a sort of mini-flamethrower, something he found useful for warming a place to sleep. It also helped to kill any pests that might have otherwise made a home in his scales.

However, if he were breathing in when he formed his flame resulted in something far more interesting. The 'fire', if it could be called that, pooled in the back of his throat, where he could stoke it with more 'fuel'. What he found interesting about his 'fuel' was that it liked to stay in shape when lit aflame. So, when he pooled a mass of purple 'fire' in his maw, he could then quickly release air from his lungs and 'spit' the fireball in any direction of his choosing.

The result was very destructive, very fast, and _very _accurate plasma bolt destroying whatever unlucky object happened to be his target.

Eska and Velin had been in awe at this, and Velin requested that he incorporate it somewhat during his next 'lightning dance'. Of course, Leitand agreed. It made for quite the spectacle, and he found that flying while forming his 'fire' allowed them to form much faster than when he was on the ground. He contributed this to the higher air flow and noticed that his bolts were particularly devastating when launched from a dive.

After an almost disastrous event in which he accidentally broke part of a cliff whilst showing off, Eska and Velin told him he could not flame anything on the ground unless he had a _very _good reason. No matter how much he begged and pleaded, they would not be swayed. They did allow him to fire it into the ocean, however, which resulted in him learning yet another interesting fact. When he fired upon the water, he found that the concussion from such an explosion stunned or killed many fish in a certain area. As such, fishing was made exponentially easier.

Falan in particular envied his brother his fire's destructive capabilities. Many a time he was caught practicing with his own flame, trying to cause as much destruction as Leitand did. He stopped only once Leitand pointed out that he had a weapon that Leitand himself did not have: his spikes, which could be fired very accurately. Once he learned of that, he devoted most of his energy towards making his shooting as accurate as Leitand's was.

For a while, it seemed hopeless to him. Then Eska had taken him under her wing, and taught him a few tricks in firing them. After much time and effort, his perseverance paid off, and he was able to strike as accurately as Leitand with his fire, if not more so.

Upon accomplishing that, he insisted on joining his dark brother in his hunts. He took every opportunity he could to show off to his idol, and was immensely happy whenever his brother complimented his abilities. He quickly proved to be the one to follow the closest in his paw steps, and was never very far from him. Velin approved of this immensely, while Eska was a little more hesitant.

"Not need two Danger Seekers," she would voice frequently, gaining a laugh from the pair.

At two years of age, Leitand had reached his adult size. A far cry from his days thinking he was a midget, he proved to be the largest of their family, though only just. When he flew back to his original clearing, a place he rarely visited, he measured himself against his previous marks. There he found that he was over three times as tall as his last mark, which he made when he was five months old and had shown Velin his clearing. His stones and scuff marks had long since disappeared, swallowed up by the earth, but he had no doubt that he was many times larger than he had been.

Whenever he thought about the loneliness of his first few months of existence, he found that it didn't sting as much. He still wondered what had happened to his real mother and brother, but he knew that he'd likely never see them again. As such, he focused on his current family, which was a much more enjoyable task.

He knew that eventually he would have to leave to start his own family, but Eska had informed him that a dragon normally remains with their parents for four years, at which point they were fully realized adults and able to produce their own offspring. During that time, sometimes a mated pair will have multiple clutches, but Eska and Velin had joking told him that they were enough trouble. They might have another during the last year of having their current children, but there was no rush.

Leitand was happy, the happiest he'd ever known or remembered. He had a loving family, brothers that looked up to him, a sister that adored him and parents that loved him as their own, despite not being of their blood. That didn't matter to them, and as such, it didn't matter to him. They were family.

* * *

**Well now, isn't that all very interesting?**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! This is the second to last chapter of the Prologue. Then we enter Act I and the story truly starts. Thanks to my begrudging Beta (who isn't excited at all about me writing.) for his assistance in these chapters.**

**See you all next chapter!**

**-Aelan**


	5. Chapter 5

**Greetings all.**

**Before you all read, I must warn you. This story is rated 'M' for a reason, and the reason is as listed in the description. That said:**

**WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT IN THIS CHAPTER**

**I have toned it down a lot from what it was (don't need to give **_**everyone **_**a heart attack now) but some might still find it disturbing.**

**Please, enjoy the story, and I'll see you at the closing AN.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The water crashing against the sand lulled him, and Leitand found himself dozing in and out of consciousness. A bird chirping nearby roused him, and he irritably flicked an ear. _Stupid birds. Not wise to wake a sleeping dragon. _He debated briefly on launching a fireball at the sound but decided that he was just being grouchy.

"Time to get up anyway," he muttered aloud. Cracking open an eye, he glared at his latest irritation, a boring looking bird high in the trees. "Stupid flying-prey. Bother some other kin." It chirped back at him, before flying away. He shook his head and drew himself to his full height, pausing to stretch. _Didn't exactly mean to fall asleep, _he mused, running his tongue down his shoulder. _Hopefully no one missed me._

He took a moment to take in his surroundings, slightly confused as to why he was on the beach. The ocean stretched out before him, seemingly indefinitely, and the sand beneath his paws felt warm and comforting. Soft, some might say. An unconscious purr thrummed in his chest, but he resisted the urge to lay down and sleep some more. _There's _probably _something important I could be doing, _he thought. Shaking his head, he turned to walk down the beach some, enjoying the solitude.

Lazily, he cast a glance up towards the sky, seeing scarcely a cloud in sight. "Beautiful day," he purred aloud, spreading his wings to take to the sky. The sudden sound of a twig breaking in the forest paused him, and he lowered his wings slowly to look around. He narrowed his eyes, trying to spot whatever it was that was moving through the forest. _Nothing._

He was about to take to the sky once more when a flash of blue caught his attention. Raising his head, he scented the air, smelling nothing but the ocean and the forest. _Taught them too well, _he laughed internally. "Not this time, Falan-brother," he called, taking a guess at who the blue was. "Your sky-blue scales give you away."

Hearing a huff of annoyance, he was rewarded for his observations as his blue brother stepped out of the trees and onto the beach as well. "Almost," Falan squawked, using his leg to scratch some of the sand into a pile. Leitand purred and went to nose him.

"Almost not enough," he told him sagely, raising his head and closing his eyes to spew his wisdom. "Counts for not much, but you get there some sun-cycle."

"Maybe," Falan said, clacking his teeth together. "But, Leitand-dark-brother, you forget."

_Oh no._

Before he even had time to process what his brother said, the bushes and trees near them erupted into the shapes of dragons as four others dove at him. Yelping in surprise, he started to turn away, but was stopped as a one of them leaped upon his back, driving him to the ground.

"Victory!" a voice called in his ear, louder than he felt was truly necessary. Adrenaline flooded his body, his draconic pride at risk. _Not without a fight!_

He forced himself to his paws, and then rolled to his side. His unwanted passenger squawked in alarm as his roll threw it off, and he quickly got to his paws once more, facing his aggressors with determination in his eyes. His tail lashed back and forth in his excitement. Before him stood two green dragons and two blues, with a third blue getting to her paws off to the side. "This what it has come to," he spoke, crouching low to the ground. "Will not find victory here, only defeat." They crouched down as well with amused hums.

Not giving them the chance to pounce on him again, he leapt at his sire, knowing him to be the biggest threat. Landing in front of the older male, he darted to his side and used his head to unbalance him. Surprised at the sudden action, his father squawked as he went down. Hearing another rushing at him from behind, he whipped his tail at it, catching his unknown attacker upside its head, sending it sprawling.

He leapt over his sire, giving him a solid whack with his tail as he did so, and bowled over his dam in a tackle. Careful of his claws, he batted her sides with his paws. Seeing Falan jumping at him from his side, he flung his wing up sharply, clipping him under his jaw. He snorted in surprise, stumbling back and shaking his head. Making sure his teeth were sheathed, he gummed at his dam's neck, causing her to laugh.

"I submit!" she cried. Immediately, Leitand licked her head and jumped off, facing his remaining attackers. Falith was looking wary, Velin amused and Sonvari eager, her own tail lashing as his did. Falan was attempting to sneak up on him from behind, using Eska's movement out of the way to distract Leitand. _Clever, _he mused. _But not enough._

He whipped on his blue brother, the movement causing Velin and Sonvari to leap at him as well. Diving onto his brother, he lashed blindly behind him with his tail as he pinned his smaller sibling, his paws running down his stomach. He flared his wings in case anyone was trying to get at him from a blind spot and was rewarded by his actions as he felt his right wing knock solidly into someone, sprawling them out once more. "I submit!" Falan squawked.

His elation was short lived as another tackled him from his left, sending him off of the now-defeated male, and he found himself grappling with his other brother. Knocking his head against the green male's chest, his brother squawked in surprise. Leitand used the sudden distraction to turn the tables, lunging at his brother's throat with a gummy maw as he forced him to the ground.

"I submit!" came the third would-be victor. He leapt off his brother with flared wings, now facing his sister. Lowering his body to the ground, he sprinted at her and leapt, paws outstretched.

Another body impacted him from the side, and he found himself pressed deep into the sand as his sire stood atop him. The older male pressed his sharp teeth gently into his neck, and Leitand huffed in defeat. "I… submit," he managed to say, flopping his wings against the ground. Immediately Velin and Sonvari crowed their victory, his sire getting off of him. Leitand groaned and rolled to his paws, pride wounded. "Not fair fight," he sniffed, running his tongue down his shoulder once more to hide his embarrassment.

Velin rattled his spines and warbled his amusement and nosed him gently. "Not all fights fair," he told him, clacking his teeth together. "An important lesson."

_Still. _He huffed his displeasure and looked up at his sire with begrudging acceptance. "Fair," he told him. He turned to the rest of his family and purred deeply. "Good fight! Did not know any other besides Falan-blue-brother was there."

Eska hummed her pleasure and bobbed her head, two of his siblings running up to him to convey their own happiness at his approval. Only Falith hung back, looking upset. Leitand tilted his head curiously. "Falith-green-brother? Are you not happy?" he warbled, stepping towards the young green male. His brother rolled his head sharply and flicked his tail from side to side in irritation.

"You still defeat three of five. That not victory," he growled. Velin huffed in annoyance and approached him.

"Falith-green-son," he started, drawing the young male's attention. "Victory is victory. No, this not a good victory, but is better than no victory." Falith dipped his head in acknowledgement, though he did not appear satisfied. Velin huffed. "Family, gather," he ordered. Immediately his children stood in front of him, subconsciously standing in order of hatching, Leitand on one end and Falan on the other. Eska stood next to her mate and began to groom him as he brought them into discussion.

"What could be done better during fight?" he asked, running his sharp gaze over them from left to right.

Leitand chuffed and shook his head. "Not attack me to start," he muttered. Sonvari hummed in amusement, Falan and Falith squawking in agreement. Velin sighed and muttered something that Leitand could not catch entirely but sounded suspiciously like 'Attention Seeker.'

"Not asking you, Leitand-dark-son," his sire told him, before turning his gaze onto his daughter. "Sonvari-daughter?"

She thought for a moment, tilting her head to the side, a habit picked up from Leitand himself. "Waited too long to attack," she decided eventually. "Leitand-dark-brother was able to attack first, removing Dam from fight."

Velin bobbed his head. "Yes, truly. Falith-green-son?" he asked, turning his gaze to the male.

Falith didn't take as long in replying, rolling his head as he did so. "Could fight better," he told him. Velin's eyes narrowed.

"How?"

This time he did take the time to think. Finally, he spoke. "Not all attacked at once. Could have all ran to fight, not wait for opening."

Velin nodded, humming happily at the answer. "Yes. Why did you not?" he asked. Falith dipped his head down and scratched at the sand.

"Leitand-dark-brother covered blind-spots with wings and tail. Got hit by tail, others by wing," he warbled. Velin huffed and shook his head.

"That not explain why you not attack at once," he told them. "That say all attacked at once, which we did not. Why did we not?"

Falith couldn't answer, and shook his body, spines rattling. Sonvari raised her head to answer for him.

"Too many fighters make for accidents," she chirped, tail waving. "No room, not want run into another." Velin considered her answer, and bobbed his head, squawking his agreement.

"This is truth. In true fight, two would be plenty," he warbled. "Others stay back, use spines and flame. Good answer, well done." Leitand purred his pride at his sister's intelligent response, and Falan and Falith hummed theirs. Eska looked on with approval.

"Real fight, not know if victory or not," their dam spoke, pausing in her mate's grooming session. "Leitand-dark-son is fierce fighter, and large. Yes, I be dead, but not know beyond that. You all great kin, great fighters."

Leitand's purr died down some, and he padded forward to nose his dam. "Dam, you not be dead," he warbled, licking her face. "I not hurt you." She squawked happily and began to groom his head rapidly.

Velin laughed, and nudged Leitand back to his position. "Size not everything, but not unimportant either," he said wisely, clacking his teeth together. "Well done Leitand-dark-son, five on one not good odds. You not win, but you come close. Practice, only practice." Leitand purred and dipped his head.

Velin gave a bit more advice to Falan and Falith, but then dismissed them from the impromptu lesson. _Certainly wasn't expecting that to have all been a lesson, _Leitand mused, watching his sire, dam and two of his siblings flying away, leaving him with Falan. _Not even sure that Sire himself expected it to be a lesson, but I can't fault him the opportunity. _He shook his body vigorously and turned his head to bite at the scales between his wings, dealing with an itch.

"Leitand-brother," Falan started, moving to stand in front of him. Leitand perked his ears to show he was listening, moving on to yet another itch. "You been to islands?" He pointed his nose out to the ocean. Leitand paused his actions and turned his gaze onto his brother.

"No, not know need," he said hesitantly. "Thought about going once, to island there." He pointed his tail at the island he was speaking of. "But never found good time. Why ask?"

Falan's spines rattled as he shook himself. "Want explore, see new land. Large islands, main land, not know which," he squawked, scratching at the ground. Leitand thought for a moment, before nosing his brother affectionately.

"Not want alone?" he asked. Falan bobbed his head and hummed agreement. Leitand huffed and sat back on his haunches. "Journey be nice, good to see new things, meet new kin, more." He looked up towards a cloud in the sky. "You want, we can go next sun-cycle to see islands."

Falan snapped his head to stare at him, his tail waving and quills flexing in excitement. "Truly?" he warbled. Leitand purred his agreement, nosing him again. "Yes! Want!" The young blue male began to run around his larger brother, much to his amusement.

"Next sun-cycle, save energy," he chuffed, spreading a wing to stop his energetic sibling. "Need tell Sire and Dam." Falan bobbed his head in agreement, and immediately turned and took flight, leaving Leitand to his own thoughts.

_Hm, _he mused, returning to grooming himself. _Never really gave much thought to travel here recently. Going inland would seem to be a viable option, but the ocean would be better for food purposes. _Some sand proved to be tricky to remove from the scales on his paws, and he growled slightly. _Lots of fish, more than the land animals should we go inland. Plenty of islands out in that ocean from what Sire and Dam have told me, so we wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to sleep. _He purred, finally removing the sand and setting his paw back onto the ground.

_Damnit. _His paw was quickly covered in sand again, much to his irritation. _I really didn't think that through. _Huffing his displeasure, he stood up and stretched, flicking his tail up into the air as he did so. Then he took to the sky, powerful wings making the ground fall away below him. _That never gets old._

He flew lazily in circles, the warm updraft from the sun heated sands allowing him to mostly float in the air, flapping rarely. Turning his gaze out towards the ocean, he tried to spot another island. He thought he could see another one far into the distance, but it was so far away that he couldn't be sure. Turning away from the ocean, he flew towards the den, smiling to himself as he did so. _Always more to see._

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Velin and Eska were a little nervous about their plans, but they supported the decision anyway. "Was young once too," Eska had told them, gaining a purr of amusement from Leitand and a snort from Velin.

The day passed quickly enough, with Falan near unable to contain his excitement. Sonvari looked a little put out at not being invited, but a quick tussle with Leitand had her happy again. Falith just looked nervous about the whole idea, despite Falan and Leitand's assurances that it was only a quick journey, wouldn't last longer than a few days.

He remained unconvinced, but begrudgingly accepted that they would be highly unlikely to get injured in such a short time-frame. "Danger Seeker," he had squawked at his larger brother, gaining amused sounds from those gathered.

Night came, and his family went to sleep, leaving Leitand to fly his usual night-time flights.

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The stars shined brilliantly down on him on this moonless night, enough to draw a smile to his face and purr in his chest. _I love nights like this, _he thought, angling his wings to take him higher into the sky and out over the ocean. He could see bits of light glittering in the waves, stunning him with its beauty.

He briefly wished that some of his family enjoyed night flights like these, so that he wouldn't have to enjoy them alone. But he knew that they couldn't see nearly as well in the dark as he could. That was something that had led to some fun little pranks at their expense, usually Falith. The thought of such actions made his purr increase in volume.

Drifting in the dark, watching the little glints of light off of the water and lost in his thoughts, he almost missed seeing the ships.

_Whoa, _he thought, turning himself to take his path over the small fleet. They were floating a fair distance out to sea but seemed to be making to pass in between the peninsula and its neighboring island. _Haven't seen a ship like that before. Well, haven't really seen a ship at all yet._

Drifting above it, he could see lights passing back and forth across its deck as torch-bearing humans walked across. Feeling a slight twinge in his chest at seeing what he used to be again after two years, he dipped down to fly closer.

The men were bearded and large, each rippling with muscle, with a sword belted around their waists. Flying just out of reach of the light produced from the torches, he continued to fly around them, wondering if he could get close enough to hear them. _Doesn't look like they're chatting much anyway, _he decided, erring on the side of caution.

In total, there were eleven ships, ten matching the same size and the eleventh being considerably larger. Each of the ten smaller vessel had pair of sentries roaming across them. At the prow of each ship, there was a large contraption that he did not recognize. It looked faintly like a crossbow but was much larger and held a wicked looking bolt. _Ballista, _he realized, wondering where he had heard the term before.

The largest ship looked much more threatening. Across its deck, it had five ballistae, two stationed on the prow, two midship and one on the bow. Leitand quietly moved to fly closer to it, this ship still only having the pair of men roaming the deck. _Hmm._

Buzzing the top of the sail, the wind from his wings fluttering in the sails, he resisted the urge to fly even closer. His ears picked up a faint gasp, and then a voice called out into the darkness. "Dreki!" it cried.

Surprised, Leitand whipped his head around, seeing a single man in the crow's nest of the large ship, pointing at him. Cursing to himself at missing the fact that a person was there, he turned back towards the peninsula. The watchman didn't have a torch up there to ruin his night vision, explaining in part how he had missed the ship possessing one. He heard more shouts coming from the ships, most of which being "Dreki!" Putting on as much speed as he could, he flew in a sprint back towards the den.

Landing in the small clearing, he dived through the trees with scarcely a hesitation in his movements, slowing only once he entered the area around the den. Moving through the entrance quietly, he moved to where Velin and Eska were sleeping, opposite of his siblings. "Dam, Sire," he whispered, nosing them awake gently. Eska opened her tired eyes and stared at him, humming.

"What, Attention Seeker?" she asked, rousing Velin. Instead of replying verbally, he cast a glance at his still sleeping siblings, and turned towards the entrance, flicking his tail for them to follow him. He heard soft murmuring sounds of conversation as he exited, and then heard his parents getting to their feet to follow him out.

"What?" Velin asked once they were away from the entrance, amusement evident in his gaze. His amusement faded when he saw how worried Leitand was.

"Humans, on ships. Many, saw them as was flying over ocean," he told them, not wasting time. They both tensed immediately, all tiredness fading from their gaze. He hesitated now, looking down at his paws. "One spotted me."

Silence filled the air, the tension almost palpable. Finally, Velin spoke. "Good you not hurt," he warbled, nosing his largest son gently. "Here soon? Or not coming this way?"

Leitand shook his head, meeting his gaze. "Not sure. Did not want to risk more attention, just returned to den," he said, and Velin nodded in agreement.

"Wise," Eska spoke, nosing him as well. "Not a threat now. Sleep, see if there when sun rises." Velin hummed his agreement, and the two nosed him back towards the den. Settling down next to them, a happy purr rumbled through the air as Eska began to groom him. He felt his worries fade away, all tension leaving his body as he faded to sleep, the last thing him being aware of as his dam's affectionate attention.

He slept in later the next day than normal, the den empty and a large fish laying next to his head. As he ate his breakfast, his thoughts drifted to the night before, and the fleet he had witnessed. Opting to forgo his morning routine, he instead acted as his namesake, and looked for Velin and Eska.

Their scent trail led him to the beach, along with that of his siblings. They were crouched down right along the edge of the sand, staring out over the ocean. As he approached, he followed their gazes and saw the fleet of ships, now anchored out between their peninsula and the island across from them. The largest ship mas moored in the center between the two landforms, with the smaller ships running along the coast. Now able to see clearer, Leitand also noticed a symbol on the sails that he had not seen before.

It was that of a red dragon, eerily reminiscent of a bright-scale, in flight. While it didn't appear to have a negative connotation to that, he still found himself to be unsettled.

"Danger," Eska hissed at him, and he nodded, eyes widening. "Back."

The family moved back towards the den and held an impromptu meeting. "Do not fly today," Velin told his children, and Leitand immediately nodded. "Would prefer you stay at den, but need food and not know how long they wait. They looking for kin, I think."

"Are they dangerous?" Falan asked, a light in his eyes. Eska met his gaze, and bobbed her head.

"Yes, assume dangerous," she warbled. Leitand, Sonvari and Falith bobbed their heads in agreement, but Falan simply scratched at the ground.

"I watch them from shore," Leitand offered. "Can hide, give warning if they come close." Velin nodded.

"Yes, good," he told him, nosing him affectionately. "Stay hidden. I bring food soon and join you." Leitand nodded, and rubbed his head against Eska and Velin before turning and heading back towards the beach.

He decided to hide near where they were originally, though in a more sheltered location under some thick bushes. It offered him a decent view of the area and the ships, without risking exposure by flying up to a mountain. Taking up his sentry position, he watched and waited.

The majority of the ships seemed to think that they were on the island, though two were near their peninsula. He was a little surprised that they had not landed to explore on foot. _Perhaps they want confirmation that we're here before they do, _he wondered. _In that case, we need to remain undetected. That watchman must have been half asleep when he saw me. Perhaps they'll think he had been dreaming._

He watched until well into the morning, noticing that the humans that he could see were quickly looking bored and irritated. Once, when a ship had passed by closely to his hiding place, he heard shouting in a language he didn't know. They must not be able to speak English. He did recognize one word, the same word he had hear the night before when the watchman had spotted him. It sounded like they were calling out to a dog. _Here doggy, doggy, _he thought with amusement.

Hearing the familiar sound of draconic footsteps behind him, he slowly crawled deeper into the forest to speak with his sire. When he turned around, he saw that Velin, Eska, Sonvari and Falith were there, each looking anxious. Leitand purred softly.

"Do not think they know we here," he murmured to them. Their moods lightened some, though they still looked tense. "They looking, but they grow irritated, bored."

Velin bobbed his head, humming softly. "Good. Where is Falan-blue-son?" he asked, looking behind Leitand. Leitand's purr died down, and he tilted his head.

"He with you, I here alone," he said, confused. Eska blinked at him, surprised, and a worried hum filled the air.

"He say he go to join you when we catch food," she told him, nosing a few squirrels at her paws. Leitand stood upright, and looked around, shaking his head.

"Not joined me, not seen since den," he affirmed, fear welling inside of him. _Why would he lie about that? _he wondered.

Wingbeats above them drew his attention, and he saw a glint of blue through the trees. "No," he spoke, disbelief and fear in his voice. Darting back towards his watch spot, he gazed back over the ocean, towards the sky above the ships. He heard his family look next to him, but their movements sounded faint. _He wouldn't do something that stupid and reckless. He wouldn't. Would he? Why would he?!_

His fears were realized as he saw Falan drifting in the sky, now above the ships, in broad and clear daylight. _No. _Shouts arose from the nearest ship, and Leitand knew that they had spotted his brother. Falan, hearing the noise, turns to inspect the human ship closer. His body language was that of a curious youngster, and he made no aggressive motions towards them.

Slowly flying by them, Leitand heard a mechanical noise, and saw a large bolt, launched from a ballista, fly through the air before impacting Falan's chest as he banked around. A loud cry escaped his brother's maw, and Leitand saw the red glint of bloody metal erupting from Falan's back. His wings froze open.

And he fell.

Leitand stood upright, pain and shock coursing through his body. Velin rose to his full height next to him.

Falan fell.

Leitand and Velin stepped forward, out of the trees and out of hiding. His gaze was locked onto the young male's body.

His brother fell.

As soon as his body crashed into the water, a red haze descended over Leitand. Scarcely aware of what he was doing, or of the fact that Velin was doing the same, he roared. He roared his rage, his anger, his fury… his pain. The sound cut through the air, silencing the cheers of the humans immediately. As one, he and Velin took to the skies, heading straight for the stupefied men.

Before they had time to react, wrath incarnate was upon them, taken the form of two bloodthirsty dragons. Leitand fired his explosive fire at the ship, taking out the ballista on the prow. Velin fired a row of spikes at the men, who were now scurrying about the deck in a panic, their primary weapon gone. A hasty arrow flew their way, but went wide and into nothing but ocean. And then they were upon them, landing on the ship with another unified roar.

For a time, all Leitand saw was red, all he tasted was blood, all he heard were screams and all he smelt was death. His large frame and heavy muscles sent razor sharp claws tearing through unarmored flesh, sharp teeth removed limb from torso and a heavy tail broke bones and necks. Distantly, he heard a bell ringing, before a blast of white hot fire from his sire silenced it, and replaced it with an inhuman scream erupting from the ringer as his flesh melted from his bones.

Leitand himself did not use his fire until all of the men on the ship were dead or dying, and then he and Velin took to the skies, and he sent a powerful blast to punch through the ships hull as Velin set the deck on fire. Then the two turned away, leaving the ship to sink and burn.

Leitand saw the rest of the fleet making their way towards them, and they were about to fly away and out of range when the second ship unleashed a rain of arrows upon he and his sire, complimented by another ballista bolt. The bolt was easily dodged, and most of the arrows missed, but Leitand and Velin both hissed in pain as a few lucky strikes found their marks. They turned their wrath onto this latest ship.

Before they moved far, the ship was suddenly under attack from the other direction, as the rest of their family joined the fight. Leitand saw the ballista turning to aim at the new threat, and immediately fired one of his blasts to take it out. Another bell sounded as he and Velin crashed into the men on the deck, Eska joining them as Sonvari and Falith flew around, breathing fire and launching their poisonous spikes at the men.

The men were more prepared, but nothing could have totally prepared them for the wrath of five dragons. They fought. They died. A few managed to get a strike in with sword or axe, but Leitand scarcely felt the pain. He just fought, crushed, slashed and bit. His existence was pain, his purpose was death.

The ship, having taken many blasts from the flying dragons, began to tip to its side, and Leitand and his parents were forced into the air. The second ship began to sink.

Another swarm of arrows, larger than the last, came from the remaining fleet, and Leitand realized that they were now in range of the rest of the fleet. Before it was them against a single ship, now it was them against nine. The thought to retreat crossed his mind, but after seeing his family turn to face them, he shoved the thought away and raced ahead of them.

He fired three blasts as rapidly as he could, targeting the three closest ballistae. Three explosions rewarded his efforts, and he heard the screams of men once more. And then he was in the fray again, and more men died.

The third ship began to sink. Then the largest ship turned its ballistae on them, along with the remaining ships and their own ballistae. He dived out of the way, as did his family, and another pained scream of a dying dragon entered the air. Glancing behind him as he flew, he saw his sire, Velin, falling to the ocean below, four ballistae bolts puncturing his body. Leitand descended into a deeper haze, no longer one of pain and anger, but now of raw fury and bloodlust. He crashed into another deck filled with men, joined by Falith as Eska and Sonvari focused their attentions on the ballistae.

Something clicked neatly into place in the back of his head as he fought.

He and his green brother killed the last on the ship, and immediately took off towards the next, flying through a hail of arrows. A pained yelp and scream came from them as their flesh was pierced, and Falith was forced to land on another ship as his wings became riddled with holes. Leitand roared his anguish, and immediately landed to join him. And once more they were fighting. He heard another scream escaping his brother, and turned to see an axe buried deep into his chest.

Falith took a deep breath, and exhaled his last as an intense ball of fire, engulfing the men before him in death bringing fire. And then he too, fell. Leitand roared once more, and swept his wings and tail in wide arc, sending men flying into the ocean and across the deck, breaking many bones. Then he took to the sky and flew towards his dam and sister.

"Leitand-son!" Eska called. "Get sister away from danger. Go!"

Leitand's world came crashing down on him, the realization that there was no way they would win such a fight. He obeyed. "Sonvari-sister! Follow! Now!" he called out into the chaos of the fight. He heard a squawk in reply and fired a few more blasts as he flew, taking out more of the few remaining ballistae. Then Sonvari was with him, and he took up a position below her, catching arrow after arrow that might have found their way into her as they flew.

And then they were out of range.

Leitand turned back to see his dam still fighting, her bright and hot fire causing waves of destruction among the ships. Then another pained cry cut through the noisy battle, as what few ballistae remained finally met their mark in his mother's chest. Three ships had already broken away to give chase to him and his sister. _That cannot happen._

"Sonvari-sister! Fly far, fly fast! Do not stop, do not look back!" he ordered his sister. She shot a pained glance back at him, and whimpered her agreement. "You are loved," he told her, pain in his voice at what he must do.

Then he wheeled away, climbing high into the atmosphere, well out of reach of their arrows or ballistae. As he flew above them, the ships tiny specks at his great height, a sense of calm came over him. _So here I die. Here I die, avenging those I love. Fitting, _he thought, feeling the fatigue of the fight beginning to affect him.

_So be it._

He turned his flight into a steep dive, moving his wings in tiny minute adjustments to lend him even greater speed. As he did so, a loud, piercing whistle surrounded him, and he knew he was making it. Opening his maw wide, he ignited the gases he built in his throat, and began to pump as much into it as he could. As the air rushed past him, and some into his maw to stoke the flame, the fire grew larger. He was close now, close enough that he could hear the cries of the men. He couldn't understand them, but they all were crying out the same thing.

"Night Fury!" they cried.

And he fired.

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A merchant ship, traveling to the Barbaric Archipelago from Rome, stood in awe and terror as they watched an attack on a fleet of Dragon Hunter ships by a strange black dragon. The captain had decided to alter their route somewhat to try and avoid the intense weather that often develops in their normal course. It was more time consuming, but over all the crew felt it to be a safer path.

After seeing what was happening, many were rethinking that decision. They had spotted the plume of smoke that was coming from a burning ship, and being the good Samaritans that they were, they knew they had to investigate and see if anyone needed rescuing. A bit of goodwill in saving a customer never hurt as a bonus.

Now they just watched, hearing the faint cries of men and a slightly louder, piercing whistle cutting through the distance as the dragon laid waste to the fleet.

"Johann!" a loud voice drew the merchant's attention. "Wha' d'we do?"

Johann shook himself to clear his thoughts, watching as the fleet's flagship began to sink beneath the waves of the ocean. "Nothing," he ordered shortly, watching the remaining ships beginning to turn away and make their way south, towards him. A dragon's roar followed them, but the dark beast wheeled away towards the west. His sharp eyes could see many arrows sticking from it, but the dragon flew unhindered. "Continue on, we can't help those men."

A chorus of relieved 'Aye's' came from the men, and they broke out the oars to get them further away from the scene faster. Johann brought his head down to meet a hand as he thought, moving towards his quarters below deck.

When they arrived at their destination a month later, Johann and his men told the tale of a Night Fury destroying a Hunter armada by itself. Few believed the tales of death and destruction, few believed until they saw the haunted look in the men's eyes as they recalled the screams of the dying men. Word began to travel faster and faster. The tale drew more mystery and fear to surround the elusive dragon, and as it spread, the story grew.

Ten ships became one hundred. One hundred became one thousand. The size of the beast varied from person to person. Some said it was two hundred feet long with a wing-span that doubled that. Others said it to be only fifty feet, and still others said it was smaller. As the tale continued to be passed on, word eventually reached the survivors of the attack.

They alone knew the truth of what had happened that day, but few would speak of it. Many moved out of the Archipelago altogether, putting as much distance between them and the Night Furies as possible. Others swore vengeance on it, claiming that they themselves would kill it. And more would just stay quiet, trapped in the memories of that bloody fight. None wanted to meet it again.

The Night Fury grew to be a creature that was so feared, that the old adage recommended to even the most experienced of dragon slayers was to avoid and hide from it. "Never engage this dragon," they were told. "All you can do is hide and pray that it does not find you."

It would remain as such until a boy shot down a Night Fury thirteen years later. When the young Viking did not kill it, and instead befriended it, the world began to change. When the boy and dragon later killed a monster of a dragon said to be the size of a mountain, that fear grew once more, reaching even higher heights. And with fear comes hate, and with hate, violence.

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At the same time, as the merchant ship sailed away from the bloody scene, a group of small-scales observed the entirety of the battle. They had been in hiding upon seeing the ships, and the island they were on became one of awe when they saw the destruction their neighbors wrought on the fleet. They saw the first blue one fall, and then the larger blue and black ones appeared and decimated the ship. Quietly, so as to not draw attention to themselves, the group began to cheer the fighters on.

When the first ship sank, and the rest of the family appeared, their cheers doubled. They watched as another ship sank, and then another. They cried when one of the kin fell, and continued to do so as they watched the family continue to fight and die. They didn't understand why a night-scale was fighting for the bright-scales, but that did not matter to them. The night-scale was a fierce kin, and if any kin could save a family from extinction, it was a night-scale.

They heard the pain in the dark kin's roar as the bright-scales continued to fall, and they cried with him. Such brave kin! Such a loving family! And they were falling. In their minds, the small-scales began to put the night-scale on a pedestal. That thought was reaffirmed when the dark kin guided the young blue female out of the fight by flying below her, taking arrow after arrow for her.

As the final bright-scale fell, they heard one last pained roar from the night-scale. They watched as it flew high into the sky, until it was but a spec in the distance, and feared that it was leaving the young female to her fate. Then it began to dive, and they heard the iconic, piercing whistle of the night-scale. They heard the war cries of the men turn to cries of fear and terror. Then the night-scale, his normally black scales glowing a bright blue along his head and back, fired a bolt of plasma that struck the leader of the chasing ships, destroying the ship and sending splinters and shrapnel into the other ships, leaving gaping holes in their hulls. Those ships too, began to list and slowly sink.

The glowing night-scale whistled into the air once more, as panic erupted amongst the remaining ships. Roaring in righteous fury, he tore into the largest of the ships, narrowly avoiding what ballistae were shot at him. The small-scales watched as it sent bolt after bolt of fire into it, killing or maiming whenever it struck. Finally, they watched as another large blast tore through the hull of the ship. They cheered as it began to sink, the remaining two ships, heavily damaged from the green bright-scale's attacks, beginning to row south, away from the massive disaster.

The night-scale roared once more, a roar of victory, tinged with that of loss, and he began to fly out to the west, his blue glow fading away. The small-scales cried out with him, feeling his accomplishment as well as his loss. They could see the exhaustion in his body as he flew over them, wings straining to keep him aloft. He had given that fight everything he possibly had, and then more beyond that, all for a family of bright-scales of no relation to him. The small-scales watched as he disappeared into the distance, and then they too began to fly and spread their own tale.

They told it to anyone who would listen, and then others besides. Their tale was one of the immense love a night-scale held for all kin, one that spoke of their power when angered and their pain in their victory. They told of the night-scales elegance and strength. An alpha they knew they could be.

This story spread as well, as fast or perhaps faster than the story the humans told. Their story was carried on the winds, while the humans was carried by the current of the oceans. The story was told, but it did not change. It reached the far corners of the world, and wherever a kin was, some knew the tale. It reached even the most hidden of worlds, where mothers would use it to raise their children and fathers to encourage their warriors.

And when a story came of a human and a night-scale destroying an enslaving, monstrous cannibal, many believed it, and with that story, the old one was brought back into the light. The two stories both spoke of a night-scale's love and power, and if two separate stories told the same message, didn't that make the tale true?

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Leitand knew none of this. As he flew away from the fight, a fog began to cloud his mind. His existence was now only pain. After two years, he was once again by himself.

He was, once again, alone.

* * *

**And that concludes the Prologue, as well as the most depressing chapter of the story, potentially.**

**Yes, Velin, Eska, Falith and Falan are dead. Sonvari is on her own, somewhere in the world, as is Leitand.**

**This was a heavy chapter, but it was a very important one for the continuation of this story. Please, let me know your thoughts. This story is not depressing as a whole, and this is most likely going to be the most depressing and heartbreaking one. But again, it is important for the plot.**

**I hope you all enjoyed, maybe not the actual events but the chapter as a whole. Thank you to those that support me and thank you to those that critique me.**

**Until next time!**

**-Aelan**


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome to Chapter Six!**

**And also, a welcome to the beginning of Act I! This is going to be a fun story, though "fun" might be a bit of a relative term. I, personally, am going to love writing it. Act I will see to the beginnings of that. **

**Yes, originally I was going to take a week off to catch up on my buffer. But, writing the chapter took only two sessions, and editing went **_**ridiculously **_**quickly thanks to the efforts of another author. Thank you to Deadly-Bagel, once again you've proven to be most helpful. So, due to those things, no time is going to be lost at all. **

**Enjoy the chapter! And I'll see you at the closing A/N!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own HTTYD or any of its features you might see in this story. I do, however, own my OC's and this story.**

* * *

**Wings and Discovery (Act I)**

**Chapter 6**

Leitand flew, away from the battle, away from his home, away from the pain. He flew until his wings could carry him no more, and he was forced to land on a small sandy island. Still in shock, his body and mind had not yet come to terms with what had just occurred. _They're gone, _he thought dully, a pain welling in his chest the likes of which he'd never known. _They're gone. Dead. No more._

He collapsed onto his side and buried his head into his paws. His family was dead. _I wish I was too. _Feeling his emotions come to dangerous levels, he reared back to his paws and roared into the sky, the sound echoing for miles through empty air. Then he collapsed into the sand once more, and closed his eyes.

A comforting darkness was poised just at the edge of his perception. It flowed around and through him, asking him to accept it, to let it take him. For a time, he almost let it. The darkness continued to rise in his mind, until a single thought drove it away. _They're not all gone._

Sonvari. She was still alive. She was out there, somewhere. He owed it to her to find her, to help her. He owed it to her and to his deceased family to live. Determination, the likes of which he had never felt, focused in on one thought. _I will live. For them, I will live._

Drawing himself away from the comforting darkness of death, he opened his eyes and began to tend to his injuries. Looking over his scarred and torn body, he saw nothing but blood and sand, caked hard onto his scales. Grimacing at what he must do, he slowly turned towards the ocean, beginning to move towards it.

The first step was the worst, as the shock of the cold struck him and the pain of the salt finding open wounds filled him. He ignored it, and pushed on until he was standing in the water up to his shoulders. Bracing himself against the cold and the pain, he quickly dipped his entire body under the surface of the calm water, and rolled. Then, still submerged, he used a paw to rub at the more dried spots of blood. Once the worst of the blood and grime was removed from his scales, he crawled out of the water to rest on the hot sands.

Now that he was more alert, it terrified him how close he had come to dying. _Not again, _the thought struck him, though he knew not what it meant. Ignoring his fear for the moment, he began to clean himself in the traditional way, using his teeth and claws to remove whatever arrowheads that remained lodged in his flesh. Then he ran his tongue over all of his open wounds, sighing in relief as the pain began to fade.

_So glad that this numbs the pain. _He hadn't realized how much pain he was truly in until it had begun to fade. Now his whole body ached, muscles begging to be allowed to rest. He didn't let them, not now.

Finally, he was clean. His scales shined in their usual brilliance, the glossy black of them catching his eyes. _For my dam, for my sire, I will remain at my best. _He would not let himself be drawn into depression, and he would not let his scales lose their glimmer for longer than was necessary. Stretching out his body to relieve some of the tension built up in it, he moved to the top of his little island, away from the arrow riddled and blood stained sands. There he curled up, and closed his eyes.

_My family… I will never forget you, _he silently vowed before he drifted off to sleep. _I will remember all that you did for me, all that you taught me, and all the love you gave me. I will find my sister Sonvari, and I will live to carry on your memory._

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Leitand slept, his body forcing him to so it could heal. He slept for longer than he had ever before, his dreams filled with an immense love and an eternal sadness. When he finally did awaken, it was due to the intense hunger in him. He did not know the exact length of time he had slept, and the only indication he had of time passing were his injuries, now mixed in with the rest of his scars. The few holes in his wings from where arrows had passed through were healed shut, and besides the discoloration, it was as though they had never been there.

Flying proved easier, his muscles having rested well enough to be at their usual level. He quickly caught some fish using his fire, and then used that energy from them to catch even more, until his stomach was full. Then he returned to his island and slept once more.

When he awoke next, he immediately set out to his north, knowing that that was the direction his sister had gone. Steeling himself for a long journey, as he didn't know where she had headed or for how long he had been passed out, he flew on.

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He started his journey hopeful, but after two months of seeing or hearing no sign of her, he began to doubt himself. When two months turned into four, he began to lose hope. He was forced to stop his search when he came across an island that hosted several hot springs, knowing that winter was coming.

That particular winter was by far the longest and hardest that he had experienced, though that may have been due to him being alone for it. He kept warm when needed, and fed himself well, but he remained unhappy.

When spring came, he found a new energy inside of him. Picking up his search where it had ended the last year, he flew out towards the west. As he flew, the islands became more and more plentiful, and deeply varied. Here he began to find more dragons, all of which surprised and amazed him.

His first meeting with one was off putting, but he finally realized that his dam had spoken the truth about the twin-scales. They did indeed have two heads, and interestingly, both heads seemed to possess different personalities. At first, they proved nice enough, if a little slow, but then they got into an argument with… themselves? Self? The whole situation confused Leitand immensely, and he slipped away from them to seclude himself once more.

After that encounter, he decided it would be best if he were undetected while exploring the islands, at least until he got a feel for the residents of it. His precaution was proven wise when he found himself attacked during a rest on a seemingly deserted island.

He had found a small cluster of trees near the ocean proper, and was dozing under the branches when _something _leapt at his throat. While he wasn't entirely sure what had tipped him off, he was grateful that it had. He managed to roll away from his aggressor, and found himself upon its back before it could attack again.

Leitand didn't remember entirely what all occurred, or what exactly he was fighting, but he knew that he almost killed it. He had stopped when his attacker had cried out for mercy, and he found himself perched atop a very strange looking dragon. It had a short, stocky brown body with long, almost vine-like whiskers upon its angular face. Its tail seemed to just disappear into the ground, and he resisted the urge to stare. It looked to be young, perhaps a yearling.

Growling loudly, Leitand did not speak to the strange dragon, and instead immediately took to the sky to find another location to spend his day. That event in particular made him more cautious, and he avoided any islands that had the scent of that species of dragon on it. He mentally put them on his 'Dragons to Avoid' list, which he now bore a single unknown species.

For the rest of the year, until winter set in again, Leitand remained anonymous to any dragons he might meet. He flew only at night and avoided islands that didn't have any form of cover for him. While he knew he might be able to find out easier if someone had seen his sister, he found himself hesitant and wary. Perhaps it was the attack by the strange dragon, or perhaps it was due to his upbringing in this world. Whatever the reason, he did not speak to anyone, and few ever knew he was even there. When winter began to set in, he returned to the island he had spent the previous winter.

The next year proved to be similar to the previous one, though he turned four and was now considered a full adult. That particular day was a sad one for him, as he knew Eska and Velin would have celebrated extensively, perhaps more than was truly necessary. He was both relieved and disappointed that he couldn't cry. All he could do was hum his sorrows to the uncaring world.

During the third year after the destruction of his family, Leitand began to lose hope of ever seeing his sister again. His search carried him far over the ocean, and he had found nary a sign of her passing. He began to fear that she had died as well, but steeled himself against such thoughts. He would keep looking until he either found her or proof of her death. He owed her that much at least.

The fourth year proved to be moderately more exciting, though not in a fun way. Leitand had been gliding over a larger island when he came across a human settlement on it. At first, upon seeing the buildings, he felt an intense rage build up inside him and felt a desire to destroy the village and everyone in it in revenge against what occurred to his family.

But, a softer part of him, one that wasn't being directed by the pain he still felt, told him that these humans had nothing to do with it. They were just trying to survive in a world that was often as cruel to them as it was to him. Besides, he was once human as well, and he held no desire to slaughter innocents. Particularly when there were children around.

Finally defeating the anger he had unknowingly felt over the previous four years, Leitand landed on the island with a head clearer than it had been in some time. And with that clarity, came a burning curiosity. He had never had a chance to see the humans of this world up close, and he would be remiss to make waste such an opportunity.

So, he spent the majority of that year simply studying the humans and their society. It was intriguing to see what he once was going about their lives. Even more so because he could, or would, not remember it. He took a particular delight in studying their play. A routine was developing for him. He would wake up in his hiding place, far from the village, and then sneak to it and observe, occasionally getting close enough to hear their conversations. While he couldn't truly understand what they were saying, as he didn't speak the language, it was nice to hear intelligent conversation going around.

He was always cautious though, and made a point to conceal any and all evidence of his existence from them. It would be easy for him to fly away should he be discovered, but he found that he really didn't want to leave. Watching the families, even if they were of another species now, put his mind at ease and drew his mind away from his darker thoughts.

His routine was changed drastically when a ship, bearing a distinctive sigil on its sails, docked at the village. Leitand's eyes burned with rage as he beheld the red bright-scale, the wind making the sail it was on billow to and fro.

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_I should just attack them now! _Leitand growled his agreement at the thought, but the saner side of him knew that such a course of action would prove disastrous. It was broad daylight, in a village, with a significantly larger ship than the ones that had destroyed his family. _Not yet._

He would wait for them to set sail, and then would set upon them when night fell. His eyes narrowed at the ship decisively. _Yes. That is what I will do. For now, I must wait._

Settling himself back down to watch, despite every muscle in his body screaming for him to strike, he waited. A few men stood at the pier, one he recognized as the leader of the village, and another he only assumed was a councilman of some sort. It was an old man, and he assumed that he was there for his wisdom and suggestions. The two waited, watching as two men began to disembark. They exchanged a few words there, and then the village leader and advisor turned and led the newcomers into the village, towards the leader's house, right at the edge of the forest.

_Might as well see what other bits of language I can pick up I suppose, _Leitand mused, stalking quietly to the rear of the building. He sat close to a window, making sure that his bulk was hidden from view, and closed his eyes to focus only on sound. Hearing the door open and booted feet walk in, he perked his ears and tilted his head.

"You can speak English I trust?" a male voice spoke clearly, shocking Leitand into opening his eyes. _English! _

He heard a noncommittal grunt and a weight settling into a chair. "Aye, bu' I don' like speakin' it," another male voice, rougher than the more refined one of the previous speaker, spoke with a heavy accent. "Why can' we jus' speak Norse?"

"The walls have ears and I have no desire for this to become common knowledge, at least not yet," came Refined. _You have no idea, _Leitand thought, resisting the urge to chuckle. _And so it's Norse then? Odd. I feel like I know that language from somewhere._

A tense silence filled the room, and then Rough spoke. "Aye, agreed. Wha' can we do fer the mighty dragon hunters?"

Refined chuckled quietly. "Mighty indeed. Well, I am here to ask if you and your village might be interested in purchasing _live_," he paused at that word to let it sink in. ", dragons. Perhaps to train your young folk in the ways of fighting them?"

There was more silence. "Ye've gone mad! Live dragons?! I though' ye've always killed the beasts, why've ye started capturin' them?" Rough questioned, sounding incredulous. Leitand had to agree with him. _I don't like the sound of dragons being used for 'training purposes'._

"My superiors have decided to expand the market choices. Why catch your own dragons to use for training when you can just buy them? Saves on blood lost and time spent looking," Refined replied. Leitand heard Rough chuckle.

"An' all fer the fair price o' an arm an' a leg," he laughed. Refined laughed.

"No, good Chief. If you are interested, then I am here to also negotiate prices. I'm sure we can come to… an arrangement of some kind."

Leitand heard what sounded like leather brushing against carpet. "Hmm. The idea has some draw t' it, I'll admit," Rough spoke, thoughtfully. "I'm guessin' ye brought some with ye?"

"Yes, that I have," Refined answered shortly.

"Wha've ye got?"

"A wide selection. We brought some Nadders of all colors and genders, a number of Gronckles and a couple Zipplebacks," came the reply. More leather on carpet. _The hell is that noise anyway? _Leitand wondered.

There was a longer pause as the Chieftain thought. Then he sighed heavily.

"I need t' discuss this wit' mah tribe's elders," Rough spoke.

"Then perhaps next time," Refined said. "We have more islands to visit, and unfortunately cannot linger for much longer without the promise of a sale." Wood scraping against stone sounded from the building. Refined spoke once more, but this time it was in Norse. _Well, I suppose that means I'm done listening then, _Leitand thought, irritated. He took a moment to review what he had learned.

_So English is a thing here, though it's not the language of the locals, _that thought encouraged him for some reason. _But, more importantly, I can't just sink that ship. There are living dragons on it… which means I need to free them. But, I can't risk a head on assault. There might be more of them than I can handle in such a situation. So, wait for night-time, and then stealth the damn thing. I can do that._

Moving quietly, Leitand began to trek around the island, until he was near its highest point. There, he laid down and waited, watching the ship as it began to sail away. The sun would be down before he lost sight of it, so he felt no hurry.

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When the sun finally set, Leitand immediately took to the sky, and moved to circle far above the larger ship, one he now took to be a transport ship. It looked like it was actually two ships, with a smaller version of it floating off to the side. _Stabilize it I suppose, _he mused as he circled far above it. He wasn't going to risk being spotted now. _At least this one doesn't have a crows nest._

That had been a big worry for him. He wanted to lessen any risk there was to freeing all of the dragons, and that meant being undetected. Them having a watchman above them all wasn't something he knew he could take care of quietly. Either the person would raise the alarm, or he would have to kill with his fire, something he knew to be explosive in nature.

He flew above them well into the night, waiting until he was sure that all who would be sleeping were before he began to silently glide down to the ship. They had two patrolmen roaming the deck with brightly lit torches, but no more. Having studied their routes from above for well over an hour, he knew exactly when he would have to strike to take care of them.

Using his strong claws to cling to the side of the wooden vessel, he climbed until he was right below the deck, where he waited. The mast blocked them both from view at this point, and provided it was quick and quiet, they would have no idea what hit them. Hearing the footsteps of one of the men approaching, Leitand held his breath. When they were close enough, he whipped his tail over the edge of the boat, hitting the man across the head and knocking him unconscious. Then he pulled himself up onto the deck, to begin creeping up on the next guy.

His previous rage had drained away after hearing their conversation, and he knew that these men were only trying to support themselves and their families. Hunting dragons was something he detested, but he could not bring himself to kill them when it wasn't a direct fight. _No honor in killing a man in his sleep._

As he drew closer to the second watchman, he stiffened as he heard a groan sound from behind him. _Shit, I softened my blow too much, _he thought, knowing that he would be too late to do anything. _Guess I'm going loud. _

That thought in mind, Leitand took a deep breath and roared, taking advantage of the man's surprise to fire a quick bolt at him. Turning away before he saw what became of the man, he turned on the other guard, who was currently on his feet shouting "Dreki!" _Dragon indeed._

He leapt at the man before he could retaliate and silenced him with sharp claws tearing through his neck. The man gurgled, blood beginning to pour out of his throat as he brought his hands to the mortal wound. Leitand turned towards the hatch that flew open towards the bow of the ship, crouching down as a men began to run out of it. He could tell that they were still waking up, a few of them actually rubbing their eyes. However, all held a weapon of some kind and clearly knew how to use them.

Leitand's stomach twisted in pity at what he must do, and he fired a large bolt of his 'fire' at the clustered men. The resulting explosion tore through them, limbs flying and blood splattering everywhere. _I can't risk anything, _he told himself, steeling his heart as he made his way through the aftermath and down into the hatch.

Some men had frozen at the base of the stairs when they saw what became of their fellow hunters. Their eyes widened upon seeing him appearing in the hatch, and Leitand's nose crinkled as he detected a particularly unpleasant odor, even amongst the blood and gore he was standing in. _Someone literally just shat themselves, _he thought, idly detached from the scenario. Baring his teeth, he began to charge another shot deep in his throat. Some of the men yelled a challenge, and began to start after him with their weapons poised to strike. The others all dropped their weapons and stood, frozen in fear.

Swallowing his shot, Leitand instead leapt forward to meet their charge, using his superior bulk to force the front couple men into the ground. Digging his claws deep into their chests, he dimly felt their hearts through his claws. The sensation sickened him, but he pressed on, snapping at the rest of the attacking men. His jaws gripped around a man's arm, and he used that hold to swing the man into the walls, letting the torn limb fall from his jaws as the man collapsed in an unmoving heap.

The remaining men now all dropped their weapons, also frozen in fear. _Not quite like a Viking then. Who are these men? There are some Norsemen amongst them, but most of them appear to be from elsewhere. _He growled loudly at the remaining men, one of whom fainted in fear. The others immediately began to back up, pressing their backs into the corner. Leitand walked past them, careful to not crush the fainted man beneath his paws.

Walking around the corner, he entered into a large room. On each side of the room were cages, all of them filled with dragons. He saw many bright-scales and stone-scales, and even a twin-scale. Every single one of them was staring towards the entrance to the room, all of them with hopeful or scared eyes. And standing in the middle stood a dozen men, all standing ready to cut him down. Leitand narrowed his eyes and crouched low, whipping his tail to and fro in anticipation. He growled a warning at them.

The men roared and charged at him. Not to be outdone, Leitand also roared, and leapt forward to meet them. Batting an axe away with his paw, he struck his wings out to knock the men back. Taking advantage of their stumbling, he pounced on two of them, killing one with his jaws and the other with his claws. A sword pierced his shoulder, and he whipped his tail to catch the man's neck, breaking it with an audible crack. Leaping away from the rest of the men, Leitand then tackled one on the far end of the group, whipping his tail to catch the rest of the men as they tried to follow.

He heard more bones break as his claws crushed the chest of the man he tackled, as well as from the some of the poor sods who had been struck with his tail. Roaring again, Leitand ignored a hasty swipe at his neck and continued his struggle. Men rushed him, and men died. _Here… my element, perhaps…_

Leitand jerked his head back as the blade of axe whipped by his eyes, forcing them to close. He roared in pain as the blade bit deep, and he felt a searing pain around his eyes. _Fuck. _Quickly, he dispatched the man who had wounded him as he cursed himself for forgetting one of Sire's lessons. _Protect your eyes._

Roaring again with his eyes closed, he was startled to see an image appear in his head. _What the… _Hearing movement to his side, he turned and barked at the man approaching him. He clearly saw the axe swinging at him, though he couldn't tell much concerning other details. Ducking back, he felt the wind of the blade passing by brush against his muzzle, and rushed the man as the axe's momentum carried it out of range.

Not knowing entirely why, Leitand began to click softly, deep in his chest. Bright outlines began to appear in his head, and he was able to see everything around him despite currently not being able to see. He saw his three remaining opponents facing him warily, and grimaced to himself. Quickly building up his fire, he spat a bolt at the man standing on the left, making sure it was small enough as to not risk anyone else with the blast. The other two began to move, one towards him and one around to flank him.

Firing another bolt at the one trying to flank him, Leitand leapt at the last man standing and quickly tore out his throat. Sensing no other aggressors, he tilted his head back and roared his victory, a few of the dragons joining him.

"Any more?" he asked aloud, cautiously.

"None are left, you have killed or chased them all away," a soft, feminine voice spoke. Leitand nodded, grunting softly.

"This is good. Cannot see, how do I release?" he asked.

Immediately the other dragons started to all talk at the same time, causing Leitand to groan. "Not all at once," he yelled. The noise stopped. "Thank you. One tell, how do I release?"

The same voice from before spoke. "On the wall behind you, there is a shaft mounted on it. Pull that down, the cages should open," she told him. He nodded, and turned to face the wall behind him. The images painted in his mind showed him what she had spoken of, and he walked confidently towards it.

"This?" he asked her. She warbled an affirmative. Nodding decisively, he reached up with his paws and pulled it down firmly. The sound of metal doors springing open filled the air, shortly followed by other dragons squawking or roaring their freedom. He heard them thunder past him and up the stairs, until they were all gone. Smiling at his accomplishment, he began to purr, for the first time in four years.

Then his ears detected another heartbeat, and he realized that there was still one dragon locked in a cage. "You not free?" he asked it. He heard a soft croon.

"No, I am not. I am not sure why, that lever should have released all of us," the female from before spoke. Leitand tilted his head curiously.

"You see any other… levers?" he asked her. Her wings rustled as she shook herself.

"No…," she said quietly. Leitand nodded, and moved over towards her voice, where he poked his nose at her cage.

"Strange," he warbled. "Why your cage separate from other cages?"

"I do not know," she told him, sounding worried. He purred comfortingly, raising its volume.

"No matter," he told her, nosing around the cage door."Shield yourself, going to fire entrance."

"One moment," she said, and he heard her shuffling across her cage. "Now, ready."

Building up a decent sized blast, he calmly used his clicks to locate the center of door, where the latch was. Releasing it quickly, he felt the concussion as the door's locking mechanism broke under the force of blast.

"Good?" he asked.

"Yes, but I have another problem," she told him, once more sounding worried. He tilted his head. "I am chained to the wall."

_Oh, that might be a problem. _"Why you have so much extra keeping you trapped? Other kin not have chained," he warbled, confused as he nosed his way into her cage.

Another soft croon filled the air, and she began to hum in distress. "They want me more than other kin," she told him. He nodded once again, stepping closer to her, trying to use his clicks to locate the chain. For whatever reason, the sounds were becoming distorted, with the clinking of many object 'blinding' him.

"Can not see, guide me to chain?" he asked her. She warbled an affirmative, and gently used her nose to point his muzzle at a length of the chain. _She's remarkably soft, _he mused idly. _She smells rather pleasing too. Like the scent in the air after a rejuvenating rainstorm, but not as… cold. _His mind wandered while he used his short flame, the one he used to warm up his sleeping places, on a single link in the chain.

"You are hurt," she crooned softly. Shortly after he felt a soft tongue beginning to run across his wounds, and he let out a gentle purr as he worked. It reminded him slightly of Eska, or perhaps Sonvari. It was a nice memory, and the fact that his pain was fading only made it all the better. Particularly when she reached the wound across his eyes. He tilted his head slightly to try and change the angle of his flame, but she placed a paw on the back of his head to hold it in place. He huffed in amusement, but kept his head still as she cleaned the blood from his eyes.

Finally, a touch of his claw proved that he could cut the molten chain. Whatever the metal is, it was certainly strong. He started to lift his head from the broken chain, but a firm paw from the other dragon reminded him that it wasn't his choice at the moment. _Just like Eska, _he mentally laughed as his purr increased in volume.

"What your name?" he asked her after some time had passed. She paused in her actions to reply.

"Haena," she responded. "What is yours?"

"Leitand," he purred. She hummed her satisfaction and continued to clean his wounds. "Your eyes should be fine, as soon as you can open them. You got lucky, Leitand-fighter."

His frills lifted in surprise at her declaration, and he purred louder. "That good. Thank you, Haena-friend," he warbled. She hummed back at him, and moved out of the cage, Leitand following shortly behind her.

"When you leave, do not go south," he told her. "There be more humans there."

She hummed in surprise. "You are not coming with me?" she asked. He regretfully shook his head.

"No, something I need do here," he huffed. "Then I need leave, looking for someone."

She purred quietly at that, and he felt her nose press into the side of his neck. "I was looking for someone too," she told him. He purred, though he was surprised that she would nose him so. Then he let out a startled yelp as she bit the base of his neck sharply, drawing blood. He was about to turn on her, when she pressed her neck against his and soothed the bite with a few swift licks. He warbled at her questioningly, but she only pressed her neck harder into his.

"I hope to see you again, Leitand-one," she told him, pulling away from him. He laughed quietly at her words.

"I hope to see you, Haena-friend," he warbled, causing her to laugh as well. She licked his shoulder once more, and then turned away.

"Fly well, and fly fast," she called, and then she was gone. _She was rather nice, _he mused, turning to face the where the lever controlling the cages was and wincing as the movement pulled at the wound on his neck. _Strange that she was so touchy, but I suppose that would be common for dragons. Still, I wonder why she was under so much extra security. Maybe she attacked one of them? And what was with that bite? _He rolled his shoulders, charging a large blast in his throat. _Ah well, can't say that it bothers me. Was just surprising is all. _He fired the bolt, destroying the mechanism as well as a fair bit of the surrounding walls. Then he turned and raced up the stairs, and took to the sky.

**(-)**

Leitand found flying while blinded to be rather challenging. He hadn't realized how much he relied on his sight before, but now it was glaringly obvious. In order to see at all, he produced an unearthly scream, one that stretched far out in front of him. The resulting image was surprisingly clear, but it only continued for as long as he screamed. Which made him feel ridiculous.

After locating an island without much in the ways of trees or other obnoxious obstacles, he landed roughly and immediately curled up to sleep. He decided that he was fortunate that his injuries weren't worse, but unfortunate because he had no clue as to which direction he had left in.

When he awoke, he tested his eye to see if they would open now. To his delight, they opened just fine, and he could see around him clearly. After a quick meal, he flew up into the sky once more. Briefly, he considered finding Haena now that he could see, at the very least so he could see what type of dragon she was. But, he didn't want to waste much time with that. He still had to find Sonvari, and he knew he had a _huge _distance to cover. The world was a large place, and each day he spent searching only proved that to him again and again.

As he flew, he mentally kicked himself for not asking the captured dragons if they had met his sister.

His search continued, and his journey took him further and further away from his home. After that fourth year, he flew decisively west, figuring that maybe she had tried to distance herself from their home as much as she could. For all she knew, every single one of her family members were dead, including him. That thought ate at him, and it added a haste to his wings.

The fifth year, he ran into a vast fog bank that seemed to stretch forever. The mist itself intimidated him, and he briefly considered the insane possibility that he had reached the end of the world. Only the reassurance of his mind telling him that the world was round kept that incredulous thought in its place. Despite that, he decided he would avoid the area. It made him shiver for whatever reason, and there were plenty of other places to look for now.

He continued west, island hopping all the way. A few times he revealed himself to the habitants of the island, but only rarely. He heard some mention of the fog he had witnessed, and all seemed to agree that there was a horrible monster hidden somewhere in it. That reaffirmed his decision to never visit it.

The further west he got, the more sporadic and rare islands appeared. One day, when he had taken off early in the night, he found himself flying for far longer than he had anticipated. He knew his heading was west, so he continued on, but as the night passed, and then the next day, followed by another night, he began to grow tired. His fast pace began to slow, and he found himself mostly gliding on thermals to try and conserve his strength.

He discovered that he could actually nap while flying, though he didn't dare risk doing so for extended periods of time. All the same, he would frequently fly high into the atmosphere, until the ocean was a flat splash of blue and even his incredible eyes could not distinguish the white caps of the waves, where he could clearly see the curve of the world. The sight brought a feeling of happiness to sleep deprived brain, and he would lock his wings as best he could to sleep some.

He was sensitive enough to his surroundings that a sudden change in altitude proved to wake him up. As such, he wasn't worried about crashing into the ocean below him. Despite these naps, though they definitely helped, he found himself tiring faster and faster. Finally, after five days of constant flight, the longest he'd ever attempted, he saw a large landmass stretching out in front of him. The sight of land brought a smile to his features and energy to his wings, and he powered on towards it, looking with awe at the immense expanse of greenery and mountains. It was beautiful, but he was too tired to truly appreciate it.

Landing near the coast, Leitand immediately collapsed. Forcing himself to his paws, as he knew it would probably be detrimental to his health to go from such a flight to nothing so quickly. He tiredly made himself walk, slowly flapping his wings to get blood pumping through them once more. The only thoughts that crossed his mind were ones filled with annoyance at his stupidity, as well as perhaps a touch of pride at his feat. After walking for a half hour, he finally collapsed to sleep, feeling as though he were still flying.

This new land proved to be an exciting source of adventure for him, and Leitand took to it with a passion that surprised him. He almost forgot the reason for his flying in the first place, so lost in awe he was. He spent two years just exploring it, seeing lots of wildlife, but no dragons. He did run across a few humans once, but they quickly spotted him and ran off. They looked shockingly primitive, but he didn't want to chase after them to confirm that.

It was a veritable paradise, but Leitand soon grew anxious to return to his searching. So, after two years on the new land, he once more took off from where he had landed upon his first arrival. With his heading towards the east, he flew once more.

The first islands he saw would have brought tears to his eyes if he had been able to. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed the constant surrounding ocean, seeing a few islands in the distance as he had before. It made him happy, and he found that such a feeling was becoming rarer and rarer.

It had been eight years now since his family had been killed, and he found that the time was enough that he only recalled the fond memories of his early years in existence in this world. The events of the day that started him on his journey were nothing more than a distant memory, the emotions an almost forgotten nightmare. But the pain remained, a constant pressure in his chest.

The years began to pass in a blur for him, filled with searching and flying, occasionally fighting as well. His anger faded to nonexistence, and he no longer immediately considered attacking ships that bore the sigil of a dragon or otherwise.

By the time fifteen years had passed, he found himself almost comfortable again with his lot in life. His hope of finding Sonvari still remained, but it was far overshadowed by all of his experiences he'd had. She was still present in his mind, but he no longer could clearly see their reunion. He was still alone, as he had been for quite some time.

**(-)**

Leitand was dozing under some thick brush, enjoying the conversation of other dragons. He had stumbled across an island that was home to a nest of many different dragons during his travels, and frequently found his way back to the island. He still hadn't revealed himself to them though, enjoying his ability to remain undetected. _Still the prideful little shit, _he mentally chuckled.

Currently he was listening to a group of flame-scales talking about a new fishing spot, as a stone-scale meandered around the clearing, seemingly looking for more rocks. He noticed that the stone-scales were rather slow as a whole, seemingly only wanting to eat sleep. He could identify with them in that regard, it was rather pleasant to have nothing to worry about other than food. Made life significantly less stressful.

Flame-scales as a whole seemed to be braggarts, each one trying to one up the others in their tales of strength. This also amused him, though only because he knew that they were actually rather gentle creatures. They just didn't want others to know that, including their own kin.

Bright-scales still remained the most intelligent, at least in his partially biased opinion. They weren't quite on his level, but he attributed that to his human mind. They were still the most delightful to converse with, and he found that he was more willing to show himself to them than any other species.

"Big fish, tasty too," a purple flame-scale said, licking his chops at the memory. "South, near large stones from ocean."

_Ah, I know the place, _he mused. Indeed, he had just visited the place the night prior. _He isn't exaggerating, that was a good meal._

He listened as they continued, the sound lulling him to a near sleeping status, when a slight commotion caught his attention. He perked his ears to listen closer.

"… true! I there, saw it myself!" a voice was saying. He recognized the slight hiss that accompanied the words as to belonging to a flame-scale. There seemed to be an abundance of them around here.

"Saw what wanted to see, not what truly was," a scornful voice responded, snapping its jaws together loudly.

"Truly! A night-scale and a human! The monster is dead, two season-cycles past!"

_Wait, what?_

The scornful voice continued, growling slightly. "Not been night-scales in many seasons. Night-scale could not kill anyway. Monster too large, too strong."

_That's a little offensive._

"But it true! Saw myself! Had sky-blue bright-scale, dirt-brown stone-scale, fire-red flame-scale and grass-green twin-scale to help, but was mostly night-scale! Had human on back, not know why," the first voice said. Leitand's eyes snapped open. _A blue bright-scale and a night-scale… it's too good to be true. _He huffed in exasperation, startling the conversing dragons. Resigning himself, he slowly stood up to his full height and exited his hiding place, fixing his sharp gaze on the two new arriving dragons. Both were staring at him, stupefied.

Narrowing his gaze, he spoke to another dragon for the first time in over a year. "A night-scale and bright-scale?" he warbled questioningly. "Where?"

The green flame-scale shook himself, and blinked rapidly. "A night-scale? Here?!" he sounded incredulous. Leitand didn't blame him, if what he had said was true. Still, he rolled his eyes, huffing again.

"Yes, I here. Other night-scale? With human? What madness is this?" he asked, an accusing tone present in his voice.

The green flame-scale flinched, and looked offended. "Whole nest of kin-friendly humans, not one," he growled, glaring through his surprise. Leitand's own widened.

"Truly?" he asked, frills lifting as he stared. The dragon bobbed his head, seemingly more annoyed.

"Yes, truly," he muttered, turning to bite at his left foreleg. "Why so hard to believe?"

Leitand shook himself and sat back on his haunches. "Humans not friendly, it is known," he chuffed, though he didn't immediately throw the dragons words out of mind. "Where this… friendly human nest?"

The flame-scale perked up as Leitand didn't immediately call him a liar. "North-north west, through thick fog," he said, standing upright. "On large island rising from water with single tall mountain and many cliffs." Leitand narrowed his eyes in confusion, his tail flicking back and forth.

"Thought monster there," he stated, running his tongue down his shoulder as he thought.

The green flame-scale shook his head. "Was, no longer. Other night-scale and human kill," he stated again. Leitand nodded, and looked up at the dragon once more.

"Truly?" he asked. The dragon chuffed in irritation, and rolled his head before bobbing it up and down. Leitand nodded again. "How long flight?"

The dragon tilted his head as he thought, that action convincing Leitand that there was some truth to his story. "Seven day-cycles. I can show if want?" he offered, his body becoming animated at the thought. Leitand shrugged his shoulders and turned away, preparing to take off.

"North-north west, seven sun-cycles. Large island, one tall mountain, many cliffs. Through monster fog," he recited. "I fly faster, not wait." With that he took off, setting his course for the direction the dragon had specified.

It occurred to him as he flew that he had never even considered flying through the dense fog. That would explain why he had never seen Sonvari again, despite visiting nearly every island in the general vicinity. He was impressed at how many there were, when it was all said and done.

He remembered the direction of the fog wall, and knew it was a long flight, but it wouldn't take him as long as the other dragon. It helped that he didn't have to wait for him.

Leitand made good time, flying as long as he could in a day without totally draining himself, and then sleeping for a number of hours before repeating the process. As such, he reached the thick fog wall after only four days of flying. _A testament as to the speed of a night-scale compared to a flame-scale, _he laughed. Flame-scales weren't slow by any means, but they didn't hold a candle to his speed.

Not letting himself hesitate at the intimidating fog, he flew into it. _Maybe I should have done this during the day, _he mused. Even with his incredible night vision, it was still rather dark in the fog-bank. A quick 'scream' lit his path somewhat, and he could tell that he had nothing to worry about as long as he stayed relatively high above the ocean beneath him.

The fog seemed to go on forever, and for a time he worried that he might get lost. But he never changed his course, so he knew that he would eventually get through it. _Provided that the flame-scale didn't lie and send me to my death, _a dark part of him thought. He shook it away.

Finally, after hours of flying, the fog started to lighten a little bit, and it no longer felt like he was breathing in a cloud. Feeling a desire to be free of the surrounding misery, he put more power behind his thrusts. Suddenly, the fog disappeared completely, and he was once again flying through the clear night sky. He smiled brightly upon seeing the stars, and admired the sliver of the waxing moon present above him. _Finally…_

Resisting the urge to roar, he adjusted his course slightly back towards where the dragon had told him. Already he could see a fair number of islands, some large and others small. It appeared as though he was entering an archipelago of some sort. _Not quite the edge of the world, _he thought with amusement. He wasn't entirely sure why, but it relieved him beyond measure that he had finally been beyond the fog. It also didn't hurt that no monsters had attacked him.

As he flew, he looked for any islands that matched the dragons descriptions. While it might have been closed off from the rest of the world, it certainly wasn't a small area. _This might take a while. _Regardless, he held true to his course.

A few hours before the sun would rise, Leitand finally spotted an island that looked similar to what the green flame-scale had described. _It certainly looks impressive, _he thought. _Almost like something just lifted a section of earth from the ocean floor. _It was too early to see any dragons flying about, as most weren't nocturnal, but he could clearly see a sturdy looking village placed neatly along one side of the island. _And so far he spoke the truth. _Feeling a yawn overtake him, he briefly shook his head. _I need to find somewhere to hide first. _

Flying high above the island, the building appearing to be no more than little specs below, he catches sight of a pond inland, near the center of the island. _Far enough away from the village, but not too far. It'll have to do. _As he began to coast down towards it, he realized that it was actually a rather secluded looking cove. _Even better._

Alighting gently next to the water's edge, he quenches his thirst before finding a place to sleep. As he did so, he detected the faint scent of a human and a dragon, one of a species he didn't immediately recognize, though it was tugging at his memory. _Where the… where have I smelt that before? _he wondered, pawing at the ground as he detected a rather strong hint of it. _Bah, no matter. I suppose I'll find out soon enough._

Torching the rock he was standing on as he paced in a circle, he soon curled up and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Was that a good start to Act I? I certainly believe so lol.**

**I wonder where that cove is? And **_**why **_**on earth does it seem so familiar?**

**Ah well, I suppose I'll remember eventually. (I can already hear my Beta complaining to me about writing too long of AN's lmao) No matter, I hope you all enjoyed!**

**And I can't wait to hear what everyone's thoughts and theories are. I'm currently finishing up this AN at 19:47, the Tuesday before updating. I am, immediately following this, going to get started on Chapter 7. So, y'all can expect the uploads to remain consistent.**

**Until next time!**

**-Aelan**


	7. Chapter 7

**Greetings and salutations!**

**No, this story is **_**not **_**dead, dear guest reviewer. I didn't even intend for this hiatus. I posted an announcement on my profile page on the third of this month, but for those who don't read that, I'll just explain in the next AN, after the chapter. I sincerely apologize for the delay, believe me, it was not my intention.**

**That said, I hope you enjoy the chapter! New elements at work here, let me know how I'm doing!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The auburn-haired teen grimaced as a pain shot up his leg. _Two years and I still feel as though it's still there, _he thought detachedly, rubbing his thigh to try and take his mind away from his missing limb. It helped not to think about it.

"Is it bothering you again?" a gentle voice asked, and he turned his head to see a young flaxen-haired teen approach. _Astrid._

Forcing a good natured chuckle, he nodded his head. "Yeah," he replied, climbing to his feet as he did so. "Trust me to feel something that can't possibly be there." She chuckled quietly, but he could tell that she was worried. He smiled at her genuinely.

"So, are we all ready to head back to Berk?" he asked, changing the subject as he paced to the edge of the wooden platform, looking down across their slowly developing base of operations.

"Yeah, still waiting on the twins though," Astrid answered. She moved to stand next to him, booted feet impacting softly against the wooden floor. He nodded softly, looking to where the objects of their discussion currently were. "What about you Hiccup, are you ready?"

A deep voice warbled from the hut behind them, and Hiccup turned to watch as his best friend padded out onto the platform, stretching like a cat as he did so. Smiling widely at his awakening, he stepped towards the black dragon until he was next to his head. "What do you think bud, are we ready to go?" he asked it.

The Night Fury barked an affirmative, and lashed his tongue across Hiccup's face and chest, causing him to step back and splutter. "Oh come on!" he groaned, furiously wiping at his cheek and flashing a lighthearted glare at the dragon. "Toothless, you know that doesn't wash out!"

Toothless flashed his gummy smile at him and laughed, the deep sound making Hiccup himself laugh. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he chuckled. He turned back to Astrid. "I think that's a yes. Let's round up the Twins and then we can get going."

Leaving Snotlout to watch over the base, he and Astrid gathered Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, as well as their dragons before taking off. As they flew, he made sure to check that he had all of the important possessions with him, including his notebook and the mysterious object they called the Dragon Eye. They had only recently set out on this latest venture, and they were all eager to return to Berk to report back on what they had accomplished.

Being sure to avoid the island of the Deathsong, finding no need to risk _that _particular encounter again, they soon entered the thick fog separating them from the Barbaric Archipelago, and he settled in for the long flight. _Should make it by noon, _he thought, as the thick cloud bank enveloped them. A wry smile crossed his face. _Can't wait to bore dad to death with everything we've discovered._

The flight proved uneventful for the most part, which was as he expected. At one point Astrid's Nadder, Stormfly, veered a little off course as she apparently caught a scent that intrigued her, but a few gestures and calming sounds from Astrid had her back on course. Hiccup observed as she and Toothless appeared to have a brief conversation, and once again he found himself wishing that he could understand them. _I need to learn their language, _he mused. _If I can, anyway._

It had been Fishlegs who had first observed that the dragons appeared to communicate vocally, after watching his Meatlug and another Gronckle interacting with each other before both flew over to a cluster of rocks near the Kill Ring. More observations soon confirmed his suspicions, and he and Hiccup both had discussed long and hard as to how they might learn it. No obvious answers immediately jumped out at them, and they were forced to put the project aside when they had discovered the Dragon Eye.

It still proved to be an exciting discovery, and only served to further the Riders' claims that dragons were intelligent creatures. Not everyone on Berk had been fond of the idea, but there were no vocal complaints anymore. At least, not ones made in public. A few individuals still proved to be troublesome, but things had settled down now for the most part.

After hours of flying, with sparse conversation amongst the Riders, Berk finally came into view. "Alright gang," Hiccup called, and the group flew into a tighter formation to be heard over the wind. "We'll be here for five days only, then we need to return to the Edge. Ruff, Tuff... try to contain yourselves… for once? _Please?_"

"I find your insinuations offensive," Tuffnut declared, hitting his fist against his chest as he glared back regally.

Hiccup rolled his eyes as Ruffnut began to speak. "Yeah," she said, laying down along Barf, her dragon's head. Not that the two heads were different, both being of the same Zippleback. "As if we could contain ourselves. You can't contain the mind of a devotee of Loki!" Her twin voiced his agreement, and Hiccup shook his head.

Ignoring the twins' conversation after that, preferring to retain his sanity, he turned his attention to his village, smiling upon seeing all of the dragons roaming around. A few humans were interacting with them, but most just went about their business as usual. _It's everything I imagined those few short years ago, _he thought, as the group alighted next to the Training Ring.

A large man, having spotted them as they were coming in, approached them with a wide smile on his face. "Hiccup! You're back!" his father called. Hiccup nodded, dismounting from Toothless with a gentle neck rub. "How's the edge of the world?"

Grinning at the comment, Hiccup turned to face him. "Oh, the usual. Doom and gloom with terrible weather on the side. How're things here? Everything looks like it's going well." He glanced at the twins, who were already conspiring between themselves. "For now..."

His father nodded, turning to face the village proper as he stroked his beard. "Aye, it's been a quiet couple weeks. Gobber has been thinking about improving our fire fighting system after that Gronckle of his caught part of his forge on fire. Again."

Ignoring the fact that a fire in a forge was practically a given, he nodded. "I can stop by to see if he needs any help with that. I've got a few ideas...," he replied. Stoick nodded, if a little nervously. "What? When was the last time… okay don't answer that…"

Stoick rubbed his head, then turned back to face him with a wide smile. "But that can wait till after the feast! Not every day that my son's returning home from an adventure!"

Grinning widely at that, Hiccup followed his dad into the village with Toothless stalking along beside him. _It's good to be home._

"Stormfly and I are going to fly over the island real quick," Astrid called after them. Hiccup nodded, casting a quick smile over his shoulder at her.

**(-)**

Leitand's first day on the 'friendly human' island, was spent sneaking around to try and sniff out another potential night-scale. _What does a night-scale even smell like? Like me maybe, _he wondered, stalking under a low hanging branch. It certainly didn't help that the island itself was _very _difficult to navigate. The trees were a lot closer together than he was used to, and that was proving to be problematic.

_I wish they weren't so blasted rare. _A scowl found its ways onto his features as he stumbled once again. In the thick underbrush, his practiced grace was far from present. A fact that nature currently seemed to be delighting in pointing out.

Loud noises brought him out of his thoughts, and he immediately halted in his motions. The noises persisted, and he began to recognize them as the sounds of a human village. Voices calling out in their own language, the fainter sound of footsteps, and the general hubbub that he'd come to associate with a village. _Closer than I thought, _he mused.

Creeping low to the ground, he paused once more when he began to hear draconic voices. His frills lifted and his ears perked in his surprise, and he opened his jaws in a silent question. _They don't sound worried or stressed… was he being truthful?_

Moving until he was hiding right along the outskirts of the forest, all he could do was stop and stare, mouth gaping in amazement. _He was telling the truth. _Leitand watched as humans and dragons of all kinds walked by and interacted with each other as though it were the most natural thing in the world. He didn't see any signs of malice or anger in either species, all he saw was calm duality. _Never would I have thought…_

Leitand spent the remainder of the day just watching, unbelieving eyes capturing every moment that they could. He saw children climbing on and playing with the dragons, their parents standing by and conversing casually amongst themselves on occasion. He saw humans scratching and bathing dragons, even bringing them food as they lazed about in the sun. Certainly there were dragons working and toiling in the day, but right alongside them were humans. There he saw something he had never, not in a hundred years, would have thought to be possible after his seventeen years of existence.

He saw peace.

When night time began to approach, he watched as the denizens of this island settled down for the night. Turning back towards the cove, he pondered all that he had witnessed.

The next day he decided to observe the village from another angle, not entirely convinced as to the true nature of it. Doubtful he may have been, he was slowly beginning to see that things were just as they seemed. The atmosphere wasn't tense or strained, it was all very genuine. But, he still did not reveal himself.

He wanted to, but he couldn't bring himself to actually take that step. He was too used to his seclusion, his solitude and his secrecy. Stepping out into a group of dragons was challenging enough. When one added humans to the mix… Leitand just wasn't sure.

**(-)**

Day three began much like the previous two. Leitand woke underneath the overhang he had claimed as his sleeping grounds with a yawn, uncurling from his comfortable position regretfully. _I suppose I'll have to reveal myself today, _he mused as he began to stretch, his tail spasming from the sheer pleasure in his action. _Means I'd be able to get more information about the night-scale supposedly from around here. _Yawning once more, he set about to perform his morning routine. Afterward he spent a few moments to catch some fish, his stomach voicing its complaints.

_Drat, _he cursed mentally, watching as the fish he'd just missed swam away, taunting him with its tailfin. He narrowed his eyes at it, debating on if it was worth it to jump in after his escaped prey._ Not this time, _he huffed. Grimacing slightly at his complaining stomach, he set about eating the few fish he had managed to catch. Taking one of them by its tail, he quickly flicked it into the air, snapping it up on its way down. Purring at his accomplishment, he began to perform one of his favorite ceremonies in the morning; grooming.

For whatever reason, Leitand decided that he wanted to do an extra thorough job at maintaining his appearance. Beginning with his shoulders, he ran his tongue over his scales and hide, ignoring the indents where the scales failed to form properly. Scars, he knew, would take a long time to heal, if they ever truly did. From there he focused his attentions on his back, particularly around the base of his wings, before continuing on.

His scales polished and shining nicely, his purr deepened. _Very nice, _he thought, fluttering his wings quietly. Nodding decisively, he turned towards the forest to roll in some moss. Flying to the top of the cove, he prepared to do just that when he paused.

_Fuck, _he thought, slamming his head into a tree. _I just spent a _very _long time getting my scales to be as they are… yeah, no. I'm not going to go rolling in dirt. _Knocking his head once again into the tree for good measure, he turned towards the village, eager to return to watching.

As he began the trek, he cast his gaze up towards the sky. When he saw the sun high in its course, he almost stumbled. _Slept longer than I'd thought. Or I spent longer being a vain little dragon than I'd thought. _Shaking away his momentary irritation, he pressed on.

Reaching the village, he decided that today he was going to spend the day observing from nearer the village chief's house. The chief himself was a large human, his form practically screaming strength and confidence. After seeing him for the first time, Leitand had been impressed. Seeing him directing other humans, and dragons, along with how others looked at him, it hadn't been difficult to make the connection of him being the chief.

His house was built near the edge of the forest, on one of the highest points in the village. It offered a great view of everything that occurred in the village while also providing some security from prying eyes, not that he was overly concerned. Humans couldn't detect him, and dragons were surrounded by the scents of many other dragons and humans. So long as he stayed within the tree-line, he was fine. He desperately wished that he could hear the conversations in the village, but all he'd ever been able to pick out were the occasional shouted words and the faint roar of many voices talking. He was beginning to miss hearing the actual conversations that he used to listen to, even if he rarely understood the humans.

Sighing quietly to himself, he settled down to watch once more. At the very least he could have an unobstructed view of the majority of it. He couldn't see a portion of the village, but what he couldn't see from this position he could see from another. _Hopefully I won't have to watch from afar for long. Just one more day, just to be sure._

Leitand watched, but eventually he began to feel tired from how monotonous it all was. _Shouldn't have picked here, _he mused tiredly. _Too secluded. _Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to take a nap, he quietly curled around himself, tucking his nose under his tailfins. _Just for a moment._

He wasn't sure for how long he slept, but it didn't feel like much time at all had passed when a familiar voice jolted him awake.

"Sivast-night-scale! He here?" the voice shouted. _Closely. _Snapping his eyes open, he slowly closed his tail-fins to peer out towards the direction it had come from. His eyes widened even further.

A green flame-scale was rapidly descending towards the chief's house, its great wings flaring wide to slow it. But that wasn't what had surprised him. No, laying in a curled position with its dark head raised, was a night-scale. _Like me. _The other night-scale was watching the green dragons decent, seemingly annoyed at having been woken up.

"What? Is who here?" the night-scale, Sivast, warbled, uncurling from his position as the flame-scale alighted to the ground next to him. "Raemur-flame-scale, it is good to see you again."

Internally, Leitand winced. _I probably should have asked his name when we met previously, _he thought. _That was perhaps a bit rude. _The green flame-scale didn't seem perturbed at waking the night-scales. _Not that he knows about me._

He took some time to study the other night-scale, fighting the urge to purr that was building deep in his chest. Sivast was definitely a magnificent dragon, similar to Leitand in many ways, but different in many others. Leitand was larger, though not by a significant amount. He looked to be around the same size as Falith, which is to say that he was larger than Eska but smaller than Velin. Barely.

His scales weren't as glossy as Leitand's, but he clearly maintained good hygiene. He just wasn't as anally retentive about it as Leitand himself, something that Leitand took pride in. Sivast had bright green eyes, and carried himself with a lot of confidence and pride. He didn't have many scars, though Leitand's keen eye spotted one or two. All in all, he looked to be a very handsome dragon, and was clearly competent. What captured Leitand's attention the most though, was his tail.

He was missing his left tail-fin. In its place, there was an artificial fin that was painted bright red. It was connected to a saddle or harness of sorts that was secured around his torso, and Leitand gaped at the amount of engineering it appeared to take. _Human work, no doubt._

"Other night-scale!" Raemur replied, excitedly flapping his wings. "Not know name, met on island seven sun-cycles ago. Sent him here, told about you and human!"

Sivast's eyes widened, and he suddenly became very animated, matching the other dragon's enthusiasm. "Truly? That is incredible! Where did he go? When did he leave?"

Raemur rolled his head, bits of flame erupting from his wing joint areas. "He come here, left seven sun-cycles ago. He not here?" he asked, cocking his head.

Sivast seemed to deflate as he processed what he was told. "No, if other night-scales were here we would know. He must have gotten lost, it is not hard when one doesn't know their destination," he muttered.

"How you know not here?" Raemur asked, lowering himself to the ground with curiosity in his gaze. He snapped his teeth together in thought.

Sivast warbled questioningly and tilted his head. "Have heard no tale of night-scale in Berk-nest, and a night-scale would draw a lot of attention," he chuffed.

Raemur shook his body, lashing his tail back and forth. "That not mean much! This night-scale is good hider, thirty kin not know he on island when he appeared to speak with me," he hissed. He tilted his head as well. "Almost like spirit-kin."

Leitand snorted aloud, unable to help himself. _A ghost? He just compared me to a ghost! _Delight blossomed in his chest. Realizing what he had done when the two dragons suddenly were looking around, he pressed himself deeper into the ground.

Shaking his dark head, Sivast turned back towards Raemur, settling down onto his belly once more. "Spirit-kin? What do you mean?" he warbled questioningly, shaking his head and fluffing his wings to get more comfortable.

Just then, the wind shifted, now placing Leitand upwind of the duo. _Good thing I dis… shit, _he though, resisting the urge to slam his head into the dirt. Sivast had caught his scent, and was now tense on his paws, head pointing directly at him. _Uh… this could get awkward._

Sivast began to move slightly, now standing in between the house and Leitand, his ears and frills flat against his head with his eyes narrowed. Leitand saw his lips pulled back in a tight snarl. "We know you are there," he growled, his tail twitching in anticipation. "Show yourself. _Now._"

Leitand frowned, and slowly stood up. _Well, this could be worse, _he thought, stretching slowly to wake his muscles up. "Coming out, no threat," he called, seeing Raemur perk up upon hearing his voice. Sivast relaxed his snarl, but still looked tense. Feeling a surge of excitement well up inside him alongside his anticipation, he calmly stepped out of his hiding spot.

**(-)**

Sivast, or Toothless as the humans called him, felt his eyes widen considerably upon seeing the newcomer step out of the undergrowth. A mixture of many emotions suddenly ran through him as he stilled his tail. He was cautious, as he knew that a night-scale was a very dangerous opponent. He was excited, as here was one of his kin. He was nervous, as he hadn't seen any other night-scales since his dam had died. He was disappointed, as the night-scale in front of him was another male. But mostly, he was happy. _I'm not alone._

The silver-grey eyed night-scale stopped a comfortable distance away, something that Sivast appreciated. _Night-scale kin or no, he is an unknown. _He allowed his gaze to drift over the other male's scales, noticing that he was covered in conflict-scars, as well as how _clean _he looked. Sivast was a dragon that appreciated good hygiene, but this male _gleamed_. It was obvious that he spent a lot of time grooming himself. Sivast wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

The stranger-kin seemed a little uneasy, and began to run his tongue down his scarred pelt. _Manners. _Sivast shook himself, and took a slight step forward. "You are… a night-scale?" he warbled, still not believing what he was seeing. The male turned his gaze onto him, a mixture of emotions running through his silver-grey eyes as he was sure they were running through his.

"He here! Told you, he here!" Raemur crowed, shaking his body in delight. "Spirit-kin, no. But he here!"

The stranger took a startled step back at the sudden outburst, his wide-eyed gaze snapping to the flame-scale before turning back to Sivast. "Yes," he said, licking at his chest once more. "You night-scale-kin too."

Sivast shook his head, and slowly began to relax his body. _He does not seem to be a threat, _he mused. He sat back on his haunches, and adopted a friendlier appearance, a questioning croon rumbling into the air. _Spirit-kin indeed. _"Why were you hiding? If you have no bad intentions, you would be welcomed," he said, tilting his head curiously.

The male looked distinctly embarrassed, turn to tuck his head under his wing. "Not mean to hide," he rumbled faintly. "Was planning to show self this sun-cycle. But…" He hesitated, untucking his head, and looking at the ground in front of him. He shuffled his front paws. "Was sleeping."

Sivast snorted, an amused purr filling the air, relieving some of the awkward tension. _Sleeping! _"Why were you… sleeping?" he warbled, resisting the urge to laugh loudly. The other male snapped his gaze onto him, a plaintive look upon his features.

"Not mean to! Just tired, not sleep much past sun-cycles," he defended himself, shuffling his paws again and flicking his ears. Sivast couldn't help it any longer, he started to chuckle. Then began to laugh, the throaty rumbles rolling through the air. The other male huffed his displeasure, but a faint purr reached Sivast's ears. "Was here three sun-cycles ago," he continued. "Wanted be sure humans no threat."

"I told you no threat!" Raemur interrupted, sounding exasperated. Sivast flashed a quick glance at him, but held his tongue. "Why no kin believe?"

The stranger rolled his shoulders, flaring his wings slightly to stretch them as he sat back on his own haunches. As he did so, the last bit of tension eased out of Sivast. _No threat then. _"What is your name, stranger-night-scale-kin?" he warbled, ignoring the grass-green flame-scale.

"Leitand," came the short reply. "You are Sivast-kin, yes?" Sivast blinked, musing over his description. _Fitting._

"Yes, I am Sivast. The humans call me…," he hesitated at this point, and looked down at his own paws, shuffling them as well. "Toothless."

Leitand tilted his head in confusion. "Toothless," he tried. His confusion only seemed to grow stronger. "What name mean?" he warbled, blinking.

Sivast immediately perked up, his tail swishing from side to side. _He doesn't know?! _Grinning internally, he adopted a straight face. "Name means sharp-teeth," he explained, nodding his head. Seeing Raemur open his mouth, he subtly flicked a rock at the flame-scale with a paw, silencing him.

Leitand still looked confused, but he just rolled his shoulders again. "Good name," he complimented. Sivast purred his happiness, closing his eyes briefly.

He opened them again when Leitand stood up, nose raised to the sky. The new kin took a step towards him, and Sivast quickly got to his paws, tense again. Leitand stopped moving and looked at him, clearly confused.

"Not threat," he said, tilting his head, though he didn't approach again. Sivast forced himself to relax.

"Do not approach the human-den, not yet," he ordered. Leitand blinked in confusion, and looked over Sivast's shoulder. Understanding flooded the dragon's eyes, and he had the grace to look distinctly embarrassed.

"Sorry, not aware where going," he apologized, looking at the ground his frills twitching. "Smelt familiar scent."

Sivast tilted his head, now being the once confused. "I am a night-scale, I should smell familiar," he warbled, curious. Leitand shook his head.

"No, not you scent," he explained. "Smelt like… never mind." He shook his head again, and sat back on his haunches, his very posture displaying how calm he was. Sivast relaxed as well, sitting down again.

A loud noise in the human-den interrupted their gathering, followed by a stream of cursing. "Sorry, dad!" his Hiccup called. "I'll uh… I'll just go check on Toothless."

He didn't hear what Hiccup's sire responded with, and soon heard the entrance open and his human stepping out. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, he warbled a greeting as he felt love and happiness fill his being upon seeing his best friend. His rider smiled at him with his toothy smile. He was about to return the gesture, when he remembered their new visitor. Sivast turned back to look at Leitand, who was watching the interaction curiously.

"Well bud, it looks like I'm going to have to…," Hiccup started, trailing off as he walked around Sivast and caught sight of Leitand. "Night Fury," he whispered. Leitand's ears perked at hearing that, and he looked at the boy warily, flattening his frills.

**(-)**

Leitand frowned and took a step back, shaking his head in a distinctly human gesture. _Let's not do this, _he thought. He found it oddly amusing that he was unwilling to be too close to a human that was clearly peaceful towards him, despite given his own background as one. _Then again, I suppose it shouldn't be too concerning, _he mused, purring as the human stopped moving towards him. _I haven't been a human for _many _years, and I don't have much of a recollection of when I was one. _

Sivast watched his hesitance with surprise evident in his posture. Leitand ignored him for the time being, watching as the human said something in his language that he didn't understand, beyond the word 'Night Fury'. _That _one he knew. _Interesting that it doesn't sound like there's any malice in him. He sounds… amazed? _He shook his head in confusion and studied the human.

He seemed to be very young, no sign of any facial hair present and his face retaining a youthful expression. If he had to guess, he would say 14, maybe 16. Despite his youthful looks, however, there was a look in his eye that spoke of many hardships in his past. That, combined with his missing limb, assured Leitand that this boy was no stranger to conflict. Still, he maintained a pleasant aura. Leitand looked at Sivast, and then towards the human.

"Who this?" he asked, relaxing as the human sat cross-legged in a comfortable distance away from him. He sat back on his haunches and gave his attention to the other night-scale, though a watchful eye drifted to the human every now and again.

"This is Hiccup, my rider," Sivast told him, a protective edge to his tone. Leitand blinked and tilted his head again.

"Rider? What that?" he warbled, his frills lifting slightly in interest.

Sivast padded to stand next to the human, sitting back on his own haunches. "Hmm… one who I carry on my back as I fly," he responded, flicking his tail from side to side.

"They team, partners," Raemur cut in, drawing Leitand's attention. The green fire-scale still looked to be very excited, though he was containing himself very well. "They who killed big kin-eater monster!"

Leitand blinked in surprise, and heard a warm, happy purr from Sivast, which confirmed the green dragons tale. He looked at the human with a newfound respect, gazing pointedly at his missing leg and Sivast's own missing tail-fin. "That how he lose leg, and you tail-fin?" he questioned.

"That is how he lost his leg, but I had lost my tail-fin earlier during a raid," the other night-scale responded, shifting on his paws. The human scooted a bit closer towards him, and Leitand quickly snapped his gaze onto him, narrowing his eyes. The young man smiled sheepishly, excitement flooding his eyes.

"What raid?" he asked.

Sivast crooned curiously, perking his frills and tilting his head. "My last raid I suppose. I did not participate in any more after I lost my fin. Only was able to fly again after Hiccup-life-friend built me a new one."

Leitand closed his eyes and resisted the urge to groan, lowering his head to press it against the ground. "Not _which _raid," he grunted, turning his head to stare at Sivast with one eye. The human had scooted closer in the mean-time, but he ignored him for now. _Blasted language, _he mentally growled. "What a raid is?"

Understanding dawned on the night-scale, as he padded closer to remain at Hiccup's side. _I'm not going to hurt him you know. _"You do not know what a raid is?" he warbled, surprised. "Many kin hunt in human-nests for food. The Queen ordered us to, else she would eat us."

Leitand blinked, and raised his head to fully meet Sivast's gaze. Slowly, he nodded his understanding, turning to look at Raemur. "You from same nest?" he asked.

Raemur bobbed his head excitedly, his body beginning to shiver as it struggled to contain his energy. "Yes! We nest-mates! Was big nest, many kin. Seemed kin enough to match the sparks in dark-sky," he rumbled, flapping his wings slightly.

_Wow. That's a lot of dragons. And one dragon was powerful enough to scare all of them? _he wondered, recalling faintly his sire's stories of an immense dragon the size of a mountain. _Perhaps that wasn't as much of a story as I'd thought…_

He was brought out of his thoughts as the human slowly rose to his feet, drawing his attention. Hiccup said something else, his voice suddenly very gentle, and took a step towards him. Leitand resisted the urge to growl as the human slowly began to approach him, though his motions didn't seem to be threatening.

"Stay calm," Sivast spoke, a tone to his voice that Leitand couldn't immediately place.

He shot a look towards him, confused. "What he doing?" he asked, shuffling slightly, before turning his gaze to the human still slowly approaching him.

"He wants to touch you," came the reply. "It is a show of trust. He will not hurt you, and he is trusting you to not hurt him."

Indeed, the human slowly began to raise his hand as he drew closer. To Leitand's immense surprise, he was also closing his eyes and turning his head, pausing his motions with his hand closer to him than he had expected. _This… is a little uncomfortable, _he thought.

"Touch your nose to his hand," Sivast instructed. "He will come no closer."

Indecision flowed through him, one part wanting to jump away from the young human immediately, while the other wanting to accept the offer. _Haven't had peace with a human before… well, not as a dragon anyway. _Deciding to follow the other night-scale's instructions, he slowly and gently pressed his nose to the humans hand, closing his eyes as he did so in his own display of trust.

Almost immediately, he felt the urge to flinch away, remembering the last time a human was this close to his face. He had the scar near his eyes to prove it. He resisted the urge, and slowly purred to let the boy know he wouldn't hurt him. The hand began to stroke his nose gently, which felt _very _weird. And tickled.

Shaking his head, he quickly turned his head away from the human, and a small plume of fire escaped him as he sneezed. Shaking his head again and rising to his feet, he heard the human begin laughing loudly with Sivast and Raemur following shortly after. Leitand cast a half-hearted glare at them, and turned his head to the side with a huff. "Not fault," he muttered. "Not had human touch nose before." Then he snorted, and began to purr his own amusement.

The human then clapped his hands together, rubbing them together as he suddenly became animated, speaking excitedly to the three of them. Then he stopped and turned back to Leitand, and said something in a questioning tone. Leitand tilted his head in confusion, humming his own question. The human began walk around him, with Leitand following him with his gaze. He wasn't worried about Hiccup attempting to harm him, but he was curious as to his motives. Particularly when he suddenly bent down behind.

"What he doing?" he warbled. Sivast laughed, the sound echoing through the area.

"He wants to know if you are male or female," he chuffed, purring louder.

Leitand blinked, craning his head to look back at the human, who was now walking back around him. He seemed disappointed. "Bad I male?" he asked.

"He want more night-scale kin," Raemur cut in, wandering to stand in between the two night-scales. "Not many night-scales."

_Ah, gotcha, _he thought, an understanding hum escaping him. "Thought obvious I male," he laughed. "Sad to disappoint."

Raemur stuck his muzzle in Leitand's face, his body wriggling delightedly. "Not disappoint!" he barked, leaping backwards with a powerful flap of his wings. "Sivast-night-scale not only night-scale! This good! Great!" He began to prance around them, before his scales, predictably when it comes to excited flame-scales, spontaneously combusted.

Leitand yelped in surprise and leaped backwards himself, as did Sivast and Hiccup, who shouted in surprise. "Raemur-flame-scale, calm!" Leitand shouted. The green flame-scale suddenly stopped moving, lowering his head to the ground bashfully as his flaming scales slowly went out.

"Sorry," he hummed, shuffling his wings and body awkwardly. "Excited is all."

The door to the chief's house suddenly crashed open, and the large human that Leitand recognized to be the village chief erupted from inside, shouting something out. Hiccup called back, and Leitand tilted his head. The chief snapped his gaze to them, calming down when his eyes fell on Hiccup.

"Nest leader?" he asked Sivast, Raemur shuffling behind him.

Sivast nodded, looking at the large man as the village chief's gaze finally landed on Leitand. "He is called Stoick," he explained as the large man's eyes widened. "He is also Hiccup's sire."

Leitand turned to look at the chief, and noticed that he was eyeing him warily. Sitting back on his haunches, he dipped his head to the human respectfully. He heard Sivast snort curiously, while Hiccup exclaimed something in surprise. The chief rumbled back in his gruff voice, and Leitand raised his head.

"Why did you do that?" Sivast asked.

Leitand blinked. "Showing respect?"

Hiccup and his sire began talking to one another, the younger human moving his shoulders and arms in strange gestures. "Have not seen that before," Sivast said, gazing at Hiccup as well. "It is an interesting motion." Leitand wasn't sure if he was talking about the gestures his rider was making or him dipping his head. _Probably the latter, _he mused.

"Leitand-night-scale must be traveler. Maybe he come from other kin-nest with custom?" Raemur suggested, moving from behind Leitand to stand closer to Sivast.

Wingbeats approaching them drew his attention, his body automatically tensing as it drew closer. _I really have been too much of a recluse if I react like this all the time, _he thought, frustrated with his past self. _No matter. _Glancing up at it, he suddenly found himself unable to breathe. A sky blue bright-scale was landing next to them, her eyes locked onto him. Sheer, unadulterated joy began to flow through him. _I know that dragon!_

For a moment, all Leitand could do was stare, unable to believe or process what he was seeing. Standing in front of him, within a few wing lengths, was his sister. Sonvari. _Fifteen years…_

In a daze, no longer really listening to their conversation or even aware of what he was doing, Leitand stood up to his full height and turned to face her. Slowly, fearing that he was in the midst of a dream, he stepped towards her. There he stood, a dark statue, watching as he once again saw the one person he had most wanted to see in his past fifteen years.

Dimly, he was aware of seeing Sivast's maw open comically, akin to how his was only a few moment ago, but that didn't matter. A blonde-haired human slid off her back, and he noticed that she wore a similar expression to Hiccup when he had first seen him. He ignored her.

Sonvari blinked and shook herself, apparently not believing what she was seeing either. Recognition flooded into her eyes and she suddenly let out a loud squawk, her quills quivering in her excitement. "Leitand-brother!" she cried, beginning to run towards him. Leitand felt his heart melt, age old grief finally beginning to dissipate, at her words that he had so longed to hear. His paws moved on their own accord, and he quickly ran to her as well.

Their pace scarcely slowed down as they met, Sonvari squawking and humming her joy as a loud purr erupted from Leitand's chest, louder than he'd known he could, as they began to rub their muzzles against each other. It almost hurt, he was purring so loud, but he didn't stop. Once again he found himself wishing that dragons could cry. "Sonvari-dear-sister," he purred, rubbing against her neck furiously.

"You live!" she chirped, beginning to shower him with affectionate licks, all of which he returned. Leitand didn't say anything, he _couldn't _say anything. Instead he answered her with more licks and nuzzles, breathing in her scent deeply to reaffirm that he wasn't dreaming. _So like them. _Warm, happy memories flooded through his head. Faintly, he wished that he could know if Eska, Velin, Falan and Falith were able to see this reunion.

Finally, he found his voice. "I live, I here, you here," he purred. "Good, this good." She squawked her agreement, running her head down his neck. His purr picked up again, and he allowed himself to just bask in her presence.

His ears perked up when he heard the female that was riding his sister said something that sounded like 'Awwhhhh'. Remembering that they had company, he slowly pulled away from her to face them, sitting back on his haunches with his side pressed against hers. The humans were staring that them with amusement and something else in their eyes, while Raemur and Sivast looked stupefied. He ran his tongue down his chest bashfully, keeping an eye focused on them as Sonvari continued to show her affection.

Finally, Sivast shook his head, his frills perking up with his ears. "You know each other?" he warbled curiously, tilting his head. Raemur just stared at them.

Sonvari finally stopped with her affections to face them as well. "This my Leitand-eldest-brother," she chirped proudly, rattling her spines as a tremor wracked her body. Leitand purred louder, while Sivast looked even more surprised.

"Eldest-brother?" he asked. She bobbed her head ecstatically, her wings moving upward as she did so.

"Not have night-scale-kin family, found bright-scale-family when five moon-cycles," Leitand took it on himself to explain.

"What happened to night-scale family?" Raemur asked, stepping towards them. The female human said something loudly, something that sounded like awe and admiration in her voice. Leitand cast her a quick glance and puffed out his chest, as Hiccup told her something, seeming to be amused.

"Night-scale family dead by one moon-cycle," Leitand warbled casually in response. Sivast, who was looking very amused at what the humans had said, suddenly looked up at him with surprise, and sorrow. "Velin-sire and Eska-dam… brought in family?" he continued, tilting his own head. "Not know word."

Sivast dipped his head, similar to the motion Leitand had made towards the village chief. "Sad to know," he crooned. "I was hoping a night-scale family yet remained."

"Sky big place," Leitand told him, looking up at it. "Flew ten-and-five season-cycles, not find Sonvari-dear-sister until now. More there, just need seek."

Sivast purred lowly at his words, though he looked disappointed still. Then he perked up again, giving Leitand a mischievous look. "Astrid-friend has given you a name," he told him matter-of-factly. Leitand warbled a question. "Your name is Pretty Boy."

Raemur immediately started to cough out a laugh, Sivast not far behind him. Casting them a derisive sneer, Leitand snorted and rose to his full height again, before striking a grandiose pose, his left fore paw raised along with his wings, his head lifted in a regal manner and his tail curling upwards elegantly. "Very pretty boy," he retorted, beginning to strut around his sister in his royal manner.

The humans began to laugh even louder at his mannerisms, while Sivast looked like he was struggling not to do the same. Raemur stopped laughing, and just stared at him with his jaw dropped open. Ruffling his wings together, he stepped towards him, before deciding against it.

Sonvari was humming her own amusement, staring at him lovingly. "Attention Seeker always," she squawked, rattling her spines and rolling her head sharply. Leitand felt his heart swell at those familiar words, only now realizing how much he had missed the nickname.

_Fifteen years, _he thought, pausing to nose her affectionately once more. _I've finally found you._

* * *

**Not sure about you all, but I personally **_**loved **_**writing that reunion scene. Hopefully I did a good enough job at it!**

**Now, as for the explanation. First and foremost, work has decided to act up again. I work at a car dealership in the parts department. A few weeks ago, our manager quit. Shortly after, a coworker quit as well/was fired. And now just recently, meaning on Monday this last week, yet **_**another **_**coworker has quit. That leaves me and one other guy, someone with less than two months experience, to run the whole department. For those unaware, the parts department in a dealership with a body or main shop, is the literal back bone of the whole operation. Coincidentally, also the least likely to get praise. No matter. **

**Result of such things is I am left to handle a **_**lot **_**of the work load. Not a stranger to this at all, the same thing happened last year. However, it does tire and stress me out, and as such, not as much writing can take place. I've had the most experience in my department since a coworker was fired in February of this year, so that is nothing new, but it still isn't fun or easy. Particularly when my help is an older gentleman who doesn't know how to work a computer and doesn't learn all that fast. He's a great guy though, and I feel bad for him entering into this shit storm lmao. Old news for me.**

**The second, and more pressing reason as to the delay, is the damned weather of all things. I'm currently living in south eastern Minnesota, and we've received a **_**lot **_**of rain. Which means… floods. Fucking floods. My folks live on a lake, which is nice, until it floods. Then we're out there sandbagging all day in the blasted humidity and heat. So, I've been assisting them with first the sandbagging (which failed horribly. Flash flooding and then some, not a lot of time to make a good wall), and then, more recently, the aftermath of the flooding. Which means gutting a lot of the ground floor, furniture, drywall, insulation, an entire wall, doors, etc. Busy work.**

**So, I sincerely apologize for the delay, and must also apologize for informing everyone that I'm going to be posting biweekly for some time, until my buffer is comfortably caught up, so this sort of thing won't happen again. Believe me, life finds a way to do this sort of shite to me all the time lmao.**

**That said, I seriously hope you all continue to enjoy! The amount of support this story has received is completely breathtaking and I can't thank you all enough. Also, dear gods the **_**reviews**_**. Honestly, I've never had a story that has acquired this number of reviews this quickly. **

**As I am writing this, this story has 46 reviews, 53 followers, 42 favorites and, oddly, is a part of 2 communities. That last was a huge surprise, though not an unwelcome one mind you. That all occurred in under a month. **_**One. Month. **_**You guys are incredible, and I seriously can't thank you enough. Oh. And this story has 2,282 hits as I'm writing this as well. Thank you all for your support, and everything else y'all have done.**

**Mushy stuff aside, I have no plans, intent nor inclination to stop writing this story lmao. Life will get in the way sometimes, that's a guarantee, but don't think its over until I say its over. If I truly every stop writing this story, which I love writing mind you, then at the very least I will let everyone know. Unless it's because I died, which is a possibility knowing my stupid ass. **

**Alright, wow, I rambled on for a bit longer than expected, but uh… fuck it, I'll leave it as is. My Beta will complain, but ya know, sometimes it's nice to get a wordy AN. Especially since the chapter takes place before said splurge and **_**ohmygodsI'mdoingitagain.**_

**I hope everyone enjoyed and I'll see you next chapter!**

**-Aelan**


	8. Chapter 8

**Greetings and salutations!**

**Oh wow does it feel so good to be back and posting. Lots to discuss, but I'll save that for the closing A/N.**

**I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Let me know your thoughts as well!**

**Disclaimer:**** Aelan does not own How to Train Your Dragon nor any of its affiliates. He does, however, own his OC's and their story.**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

"_You are loved," the dark-kin told her, pain in his smooth voice as he turned away, towards the ships. The blue-sky bright-scale, pain in her entire being, watched as her idol flew towards his death, before looking away and not looking back. Not even when more screams reached her ears, the sounds of dead and dying men polluting the air. Over all of the sounds of destruction behind her, a piercing whistle arose._

**(-)**

Gradually and steadily, Leitand's emotions came back firmly under his control, though a constant purr was still very much so prevalent. Turning his gaze away from his sister once more, he cast a glance up at the sky, shuffling his wings against his body to expel some energy. _This is probably the longest I've had a conversation with someone for years, _he mused, looking at the green eyed night-scale. _And the absolute first with another of my kind._

"Sivast-kin, Sonvari-dear-sister, you show me nest?" he asked, looking at the two as he spoke. Sonvari brightened even more, if that was possible, and bobbed her head vigorously, clacking her teeth together. "Not been in human-nest for many season-cycles."

Sivast tilted his head as he rose to his paws, his frills raising questioningly. "I am surprised you have been in any human-nest, Leitand-kin," he rumbled, narrowing his eyes curiously.

Leitand shrugged, rising to his own paws as he spared a glance towards Sonvari and Raemur, both of whom were looking eager to get airborne. "Not in one, by one better word," he responded. "Walk or fly?"

Sivast looked at his back, and chuffed. "Walk, I think," he said. Leitand nodded his head regally, moving towards the other night-scale. Sivast turned to his human rider and let out a wordless bark, gesturing towards the village. The humans spoke to each other rapidly, before seemingly coming to an agreement. The large Chieftain grinned hugely at Leitand and walked towards him purposefully.

Resisting the urges to growl or flinch away, he allowed the large man to come near, remaining steady even when a large hand clapped his shoulder in a show of comradery. The Chief then started speaking, gesturing with his other hand towards the village. Letting his purr continue to show he wasn't bothered, much to Sivast's evident relief, he walked along as the Chief guided him into the village proper, closely followed by Hiccup and Astrid, who were in a deep conversation, and then the other dragons; barring Raemur, who apparently decided to fly on and spread the news about another night-scale on the island.

As they walked, Leitand noticed that more and more humans were appearing, as word had seemingly begun to spread about the appearance of a second night-scale. _Sorry, Night Fury, _he thought to himself as he gazed at the humans curiously. He was impressed to see that very few were worried or scared. Sure, some of the younger ones and maybe a few of the older humans were intimidated by his size, but the vast majority were just openly amazed. He heard more than a few voices say something or another in an awed voice, which he took to be compliments. Deciding on that, he raised his head just a bit higher, puffing up his chest proudly.

The whole while, the Chief continued to talk. Leitand respectfully glanced towards where he gestured, but his words were well and truly lost on him. "Sivast-kin," he called over his shoulder. "He know I not understand?"

He heard the other's laughter floating up to him. "No, I do not think he does," Sivast purred. Leitand nodded his head sagely.

They came to a stop just in front of a large building, one that Leitand recognized to be a gathering place for the village. _A hall I think?_ The Chief removed his hand from his shoulder and took a step towards the edge that was overlooking the majority of the village, and began to speak. Realizing that the Chief was addressing the villagers, Leitand hummed and sat back on his haunches, Sivast and Hiccup coming to a halt next to him with Sonvari and Astrid stationing themselves behind.

"What he doing?" Leitand asked, tilting his head to stare at the other night-scale.

Sivast's frills flicked as he took in the sight before them. "He is introducing you, Leitand-kin," he replied, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Leitand dipped his head in acknowledgement, and the duo sat to wait for the Chief to finish in silence.

Finally, the Chief stopped talking, and a loud cheer arose from the crowd. One of the humans shouted out a question, to which the Chief responded. Leitand turned a questioning look towards Sivast, who dipped his head. "They asked where you came from. Stoick told them he did not know," he explained. Then he hesitated, and cast a glance back at him. "Where did you come from?"

Leitand hummed as another voice shouted out another question. "Not come from one place. I am seeker, I go anywhere," he responded. "Been from large land many sun-cycle's flight to west, from large land many sun-cycle's to east, been from many small lands around… been many place."

Sivast chuffed. "You are seeker? What do you seek?" he asked.

Leitand grinned at him. "For ten-and-five season-cycles I seek Sonvari-dearest-sister," he told him, still grinning. His frills twitched and he let out a thoughtful hum. "Now I find her… not know next. Stay for a while, then seek something new. Maybe other night-scales." He twitched his tail dismissively. "Is while from now, not worth thought."

Sivast seemed disappointed in his answer, evident by the slight drooping of his wings. "I had hoped you would stay here," he admitted, a sad croon escaping him. "I have not had another night-scale around for… many season-cycles."

Leitand sighed, hunching his shoulders. "Not want stay in one place long," he rumbled. "I Seeker, not Stayer. Would go sick-in-head if here for very long." Sivast nodded, accepting his response. Another voice, louder than the others, shouted out another question at the Chief, bringing their attention back to the present. Other voices shouted their approval for the question.

Not waiting for Leitand to ask, Sivast took it upon himself to translate. "They want to know who your rider is going to be," he rumbled, looking concerned for a moment. Leitand's jaw dropped, before he snapped it shut with an audible _snap_.

"No," he stated firmly, shaking his head and resisting the urge to bare his teeth. "I not have rider. Not like humans."

Immediately Sivast tensed, glaring at him. "Why? What is wrong with humans? Why try to deceive us?" he growled, causing the crowd to go silent as they stared at the two dragons. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sonvari's rider take a hesitant step towards them.

Leitand tilted his head, wondering what exactly he meant. "I not deceive. I not like humans, yes. Not mean I going to fight," he responded, though he did tense himself in case the other dragon decided to attack him. "These humans not humans that killed family, not aggressive to kin, and with Sonvari-dear-sister. I not like them, but not hurt them."

Slowly, Sivast started to relax, though his glare remained. "If you are to stay here, you will need to help us," he warned.

Leitand shrugged, staring down at him coolly. "I help. But not have rider," he chuffed, in a tone that allowed for no argument. Turning towards the Chief, who was staring at him with narrowed eyes, he poked a paw towards Sivast's saddle and shook his head in an exaggerated fashion. Hiccup said something to his dad, and the Chief too began to relax, though now he wore a frown.

**(-)**

"For the time being, Pretty Boy will not be having a rider," Hiccup's father spoke, his commanding voice echoing across the crowd. Immediate shouts of protest from would-be Night Fury riders erupted from the crowd. The Chief raised his large hands in the air for silence, which slowly came. "This dragon is new! We cannot expect him to just accept that he will be ridden. Give it some time, wait for him to become accustomed to being here, and then we will discuss this again."

Hiccup sighed loudly, slumping his shoulders. _I suppose I was just too caught up in the excitement, _he thought, knowing full well the dragon had to choose the rider. He turned his attention to the dragon in question, the newly named Pretty Boy. The large dragon certainly was pretty, similar to how a well used and storied blade was. Shiny and gleaming, but with enough nicks and scratches that you knew it had seen a lot of combat and had taken more than a few lives.

"Now, unless there's any other questions, we best continue our tour through the village," Stoick said. A few quiet grumbles arose, but no other questions were asked. With a wave of his hand, the Chief dismissed the crowd, who all went back to what they were doing. Immediately he turned around to stare at Pretty Boy and Toothless intently.

"What was that about?" he demanded, striding towards them. Hiccup quickly stepped forward to try and placate his father.

"I'm guessing that Pretty Boy didn't like the idea of having a rider… I don't know for sure, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that he hasn't had the best of experiences with humans in the past," he said rapidly, gesturing about himself animatedly.

Stoick hummed to himself, deeply, as he approached the silver eyed dragon. A large hand stroked a large flank, tracing a deep indented scar. "Aye, you're right about that," he mused, stroking his beard with another hand. As he did so, Hiccup saw a flicker of recognition flood through Pretty Boy's eyes. "This scar here looks like it was made by an axe, and these…" The Chief's voice trailed off as he took in all of the scars that he could see across the dragon.

After waiting for a few moments for him to continue, Hiccup took another step forward, resting a hand on the new Night Fury's chest. As he did so, he appreciated how much larger the dragon was than Toothless. "What is it dad?" he asked, tracing a scar himself. A small, angular indent.

"This dragon must have been in more than a few fights with humans," the Chief spoke softly. A curious croon came from Pretty Boy's chest, and Hiccup looked up to see the dragon staring at him. An intelligence shined there, one that Hiccup hadn't seen in even Toothless. He grinned at the large dragon, receiving a wide gummy smile in response, drawing a laugh from him. The Chief chuckled quietly himself, an invisible tension leaving his shoulders.

"Yes, he's been in a lot of fights. I see many scars from arrows, a few from swords and axes, and one that looks like a spear… though that could be one from another dragon, or perhaps a ballistae. This one here," he tapped a wide scar that went up from his shoulder, "probably when he was in flight."

Hiccup nodded, looking over the dragon as well. He frowned when he came across a bite wound on the base of his neck, near his shoulder. "Huh," he said, studying it closely. It looked like a series of teeth marks, cleanly going in and going out. They were the distinctive shape that he knew a Night Fury's bite to have. "These right here look like they were made by a Night Fury," he said aloud, drawing Stoick's and Astrid's attention.

"Wait, another Night Fury?!" Astrid exclaimed, stepping forward to look at it with him. Her eyes immediately widened. "It looks old though… but you know what this means, right?" Hiccup nodded, grinning widely.

"It means," he said, raising his head to look up at the dragon they were studying, "that there are even more Night Furies out there."

**(-)**

"What they doing?" Leitand asked, as Stoick began to run his hand along one of his scars, one that he didn't know when or how he got.

There was a sudden sound that rang within the depths of his memory. The sound that, so many years ago where he was listening to a dragon hunter talking to a Chieftain. Leather against carpet. He snapped his attention towards where the sound came from and saw that Stoick was stroking his beard. Leitand blinked, feeling silly, before laughing to himself mentally. _The great mystery is solved._

"They are talking about why you do not want a rider," Sivast explained. He tensed slightly when Hiccup approached the silver-eyed male, but relaxed when Leitand made no move whatsoever. "They are saying you have fought many humans, based on your conflict-scars."

A small, sad, chirp came from Sonvari at that, drawing Sivast's attention briefly. The bright-scale turned away from him, ignoring his unspoken question.

Leitand crooned curiously, staring down at the small human. Hiccup glanced up at him and gave him a blinding smile, causing Leitand to laugh and return with a smile of his own, keeping his teeth sheathed. "Well," he rumbled, glancing at Sivast. "They right. Fight many in past season-cycles… did not help me not liking them."

Sivast narrowed his eyes in thought, twitching his frills. "So you hunted the humans then?" he rumbled dangerously.

Leitand shook his head, humming a negative. "No, kin-hunters only. Saved many kin from chained and cage once."

The little human suddenly sounded excited, running his hand along one of his scars. He heard the word 'Night Fury', and then the blonde-haired girl approached him as well. They continued to discuss with each other, their conversation drawing the attention of Sivast, whose eyes then widened.

"Leitand-fighter," he started, glancing up into his face. "Where did you see other night-scales?"

Leitand blinked in confusion, craning his neck to look at the scar that had drawn such a question. "You first night-scale I seen since hatchling," he hummed, glancing back up at Sivast.

Disbelief flooded his green gaze. "Where did you get that conflict-scar then?" he asked, pointing his nose at the mark.

Leitand frowned, staring back at it and racking his brain for when he received the scar. Narrowing his eyes intently, he let out a frustrated hum. Then his eyes widened as it clicked, and he let out a loud groan. _Of course she was a fucking night-scale, _he thought to himself, immediately bending down to run his tongue down his chest bashfully. "Oh," he muttered.

Sivast's eyes widened even further. "Oh?!" he exclaimed, incredulous. "What do you mean, 'oh'?"

Leitand glanced up at him, before turning to gaze at Sonvari, who was staring at him with amusement and curiosity. Almost immediately he felt himself begin to calm down. "Not know she night-scale," he warbled, glancing back at Sivast.

He looked even more stupefied, if that was possible. "She. You met a female night-scale and didn't realize that she was one of our kin?" he asked, jaw dropped.

Shuffling on his haunches uncomfortably, Leitand dipped his head to lick his chest again. "Not see," he explained. "Got conflict-scar from human over eyes. Blinded." He shrugged. "Was one of kin rescued from kin-hunters. Was only one chained, which…," he sighed. "Me idiot. Not know why only she chained. Makes sense now. Cleaned me while I free from chained. Was very demanding… then bite me. Not know why."

Understanding flooded Sivast's gaze, and he suddenly became very animated. "We are not alone! Night-scales are not gone! There are others… Leitand-fighter, where did you free this night-scale?"

Leitand huffed, dipping his head to his chest to think, the humans becoming more and more animated in their discussion. _Where the hell was that, _he wondered. "Not know… not sure word. Know south and east, know many sun-cycles, know near human nest. Maybe… five sun-cycles there? Was on ship," he tried to explain, staring hopelessly at Sivast. _I hate this language sometimes. Correction, I hate my inability to speak this language sometimes._

Sivast stood up and started running around the group, excitedly panting much to the amusement of those around them. Sonvari took this opportunity to move closer to Leitand, pressing her head into his neck. "Leitand-brother, you want to fly?" she squawked, nipping at his neck affectionately.

Leitand's eyes widened and a loud purr erupted from his chest. "Yes! Fly! We fly, now!" he exclaimed, leaping to his paws and feeling an intense desire to clear his head. _No better way than to fly. _"Sivast-kin! Come, we fly!" he called out, hopping excitedly. The dragon in question immediately stopped running around them, sliding to a halt near Hiccup. He barked at him expectantly, crouching down and tilting his back towards the one-legged teen. Hiccup, seemingly understanding, spoke to the Chief quickly before he and the blonde, who Leitand remembered was named Astrid, mounted their respective dragons. Leitand just twitched impatiently as he waited.

Finally they were ready, and without waiting for any command, Leitand immediately leapt into the air, followed closely by Sonvari and Sivast.

**(-)**

It felt absolutely wonderful to Leitand to be able to fly once more with his sister, who he had almost given up any hope of seeing again after his family was killed. She was clearly slightly inhibited by her rider, as Leitand quickly noticed, but it was nowhere near as bad as he had thought it would be. She was maybe a tiny bit slower and less agile, but unless she was flying with someone who knew her well, he doubted anyone would notice.

However, it was Sivast and Hiccup that surprised and impressed him the most. The two seemed to be one single being as soon as they were in the air. There was absolutely no hesitation in their movements, their turns, rises and dives all graceful and fluid. Leitand wasted no time in challenging them to a race.

Initially, it seemed that Leitand himself would win. He easily outpaced them in a straight shot. However, when he dove down towards and into a maze of sea stacks, he was surprised to see them pass him shortly after entering. The duo avoided all of the obstacles in their way with practiced ease, while Leitand found himself having to slow down due to his bulk. He reached the conclusion that they were incredibly more agile than he himself was. _That _was a blow to his pride if ever there was one.

The race ended with Sivast winning by a fair margin, much to Leitand's chagrin. But, being a good sport, he congratulated Sivast and Hiccup, who was whooping with delight at the victory. Sivast tried to play coy, but Leitand could see that his compliments meant a lot to the smaller dragon.

When the trio finally landed, after many hours of intense flying, Leitand was pleased to note that he was the least winded of all of them. He knew that it was due to his many years of hard flying, but that did nothing but encourage his delight at the realization.

Raemur rejoined them, and the group then explored the island again, this time with Sivast and Sonvari pointing out landmarks and buildings to Leitand. When they pointed out the hidden cove, the one that Leitand had been using as a den, Sivast told him that that was where he and Hiccup had first bonded two and a half years ago. He explained how they were the first dragon rider pair, of the many that there were now.

The more Leitand learned about the island and its inhabitants, the more impressed he became. When he asked how Sonvari had come to be on the island, she had explained that she was captured by dragon hunters barely a year after their family had been killed. She explained how she was then sold to the inhabitants of the island around a year after that, and had remained captive, helping to train their young in fighting dragons, until she was freed and bonded with Astrid.

Initially, Leitand was upset to learn that the islanders had imprisoned her and essentially enslaved her for so many years, but she told him that she had long ago forgiven them. She asked that he follow her example and forgive them as well, which he grudgingly did. There was no point in reopening old wounds.

Sivast pointed out notable humans, such as the second in command Spitelout, and one of Stoick's closest friends and the villages blacksmith, Gobber. Gobber was an… interesting character in Leitand's opinion. He seemed to be a likeable and understanding sort of human, and he found himself quickly warming to the grizzled old veteran.

He was shown an old man, named Mildew, and was told to avoid him if he could. The man didn't much like dragons, and was very vocal about it.

His first day having been completely revealed to the villagers ended with a large feast and celebration, held by the Chief in recognition of finding another Night Fury. Leitand was wondering what was so special about their kind, and Raemur had excitedly told him that they were famous for their fighting prowess and their speed. During the time of the raids, the Night Fury was the only dragon that no one had ever seen, and the only one whose mere presence sent Vikings running in terror.

The feast was large and loud, and Leitand found himself actually enjoying the company of the Vikings, not to mention their dragons. He was introduced to the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, as well as Fishlegs. He was told that they had another teen in their rider group, but he was watching over some place called 'Dragon's Edge', or simply 'The Edge'. Fishlegs in particular seemed _very _excited to meet another Night Fury, and spent a lot of time marveling at everything about Leitand, making comparisons between him and Sivast frequently. Some, like his eye color, size and scale shine, made Leitand puff out with pride. While others, such as being called 'fat' made him frown. He _was not _fat. It was all steel-like muscle. All of it. The bit by his stomach was just well insulated.

As the Vikings grew increasingly more intoxicated, Gobber had the bright idea to let Leitand try some of their mead. A lot of the Vikings were stupefied when Leitand drank all of it, then pushed the deep bowl back towards the one-legged smith and nosed it with a huff to get it refilled. He found himself immediately sucked into a drinking competition with Gobber and some of the other Vikings, including Spitelout, which he took to with gusto.

_That _was how Leitand learned that he could, in fact, get drunk. Much to the Vikings' amusement. After he had lost count of how many bowls he'd had, some of the Vikings picked up singing a song, and to the surprise and laughter of many, Leitand joined it, swaying along with them and trying to follow along, though he didn't understand a word of what they were saying. Something about a drunken sailor, he gathered. It was the spirit and intention of it that mattered.

Then the drunkards decided to dance, and Leitand decided that he would join in, which caused loud guffaws of laughter from the Vikings, the Chief included, and caused a seemingly internal struggle for Sivast and Sonvari, who were looking on with concerned amusement.

He wasn't sure when exactly, as he found that he was having trouble keeping track of the night, but at some point the Vikings began to pass out from food and drink. Around this time, the twins challenged Leitand to a foot race, though it took Sivast's translation to understand, and he readily agreed.

So he found himself racing through the village, the route being a loop down near the docks and then back up towards the hall. He didn't remember the race, but he did remember tripping up the stairs leading to the Great Hall, resulting in him rolling up the remainder and colliding with the side of the building. After that, he knew no more.

The next morning found Leitand, and many, _many, _Vikings groaning as they woke up from where they had collapsed the night before, each one with headaches and sore throats. Leitand himself was blessed with a severe headache that throbbed in time with his heart beat. After groaning and shifting himself slightly, he was surprised to feel something pressing into his underbelly. Opening an eye revealed that he had his forepaw wrapped around Sonvari, who curled into his chest as she slept, an occasional happy chirp escaping her. The following happiness drove away the worst of his headache, and he tiredly pulled her closer and nuzzled his head into hers.

While he didn't remember all of the night previous, he did remember a few things. Such as him _definitely _beating the twins in a foot race, to which he gloated as much as he was able. One of the benefits of that night, was that the Vikings were much more accepting of Leitand and greeted him with a comradery they did not show to the other dragons, calling out his name or clapping their hands on his shoulder, all with a wide grin. Leitand found that he didn't dislike these Vikings as much as he had before either, and returned these greetings as well as he was able… which was usually a nudge from his nose or a short, meaningless bark.

Things were lively on the third day, as Hiccup and the teens there were all preparing to head back to the Edge the next day. Sonvari told Leitand that she was going to be going as well, which immediately, in his mind, meant that he himself was going. With Sivast's help, he managed to explain this to Hiccup, who readily accepted his joining them, particularly with Leitand's offer to carry more supplies for them.

The day passed quickly, and Leitand decided to sleep with the other dragons this time, much to Sonvari's and Sivast's delight. He slept peacefully, enjoying the comforting presence of the other dragons. His deep purr filled the night air, before slowly drifting off to sleep.

The next day, they awoke early in the morning and were on their way by noon, leaving to the hearty well wishes from the Vikings gathered to see them off.

**(-)**

The thick fog he had flown through almost a week previously was still every bit as intimidating as it was before. It was with a lot of relief that they finally broke clear of it, causing him to shiver with joy.

"How many day-cycles do we fly?" he asked Sivast, shifting the heavy items strapped to his back and sides carefully to get more comfortable.

"We will get there this sun-cycle, before the moon rises to its highest," came his reply. Leitand was surprised. When he was told that it was a long flight, he had anticipated being airborne for at least a week. _Huh, _he mused, chuckling to himself. _If that's what a long flight is to them, then I guess they haven't travelled much. At least not for a while. _He wisely kept his thoughts to himself.

He was genuinely surprised at how little of a difference the extra weight he was carrying made for his flight. It was bothersome at first, but after the first half hour of flying he had adapted. It only proved to amaze him all the more at how strong he, and other dragons, were. Turning his head to look behind him, as he was flying just off and behind Sivast's left wing, he glanced at the stone-scale with pity. The poor thing was carrying Fishlegs, and while he didn't doubt that he was lighter than he looked, the dragon had such tiny wings that flying for any length of time must have been hell.

She bore her burden like a champ though, steadily keeping pace with them, though he knew any of the other dragons could have out-sped her. It was something he admired about her species. Though they weren't the fastest or the strongest, their endurance and hardiness was something else entirely.

His gaze drifted over to Sonvari, who was occasionally glancing at him as they flew, seemingly unwilling to take her eyes off of him for fear of him disappearing. It would have been amusing, had he not been the same way. She made an affectionate chirp towards him before turning her attention towards the twin-scale, who was… were? The twin-scale was fighting with itself. Themselves. The twins on top of them weren't helping matters in the slightest, egging each head on. Leitand shook his head, finding their antics amusing.

He turned his attention once more towards Sivast, in particular the contraption attached to his left side that was allowing the human on his back to help him fly. It truly was an incredible piece of work and only further proved the boy's intelligence. It far outshined his own. Fishlegs, he had noticed, was also intelligent, but his strengths lay more in 'book smarts'. He had a lot of knowledge, and could certainly apply it in some situations, but he wasn't able to harness it like Hiccup could.

After comparing the two silently in his head, he had to wonder what they would be able to come up with together. It would certainly be an interesting creation to behold, saying nothing of its usefulness.

Leitand shook his head, clearing his thoughts for the moment. He wanted to enjoy this flight, as it was the longest he'd ever flown with another dragon, let alone a group of them, in his whole life. It invoked a sense of comradery and belonging that he didn't even realize he had wanted. Thinking on it, he decided that it wouldn't be the _worst_ thing in the world to have a rider. They were all definitely close to each other… but he wouldn't let just anyone ride him. No, they would have to be someone impressive in their own right.

The sun was setting lower and lower into the sky, as the moon slowly began to take over. And with it came the first of the countless stars, whose sight immediately had Leitand purring and humming happily. He enjoyed looking at the now recognizable constellations, spotting the ones that he enjoyed the most almost immediately. While he didn't know what their true names were, he had made some up himself. There was one that he felt should be labeled as Orion, though he wasn't entirely sure why, but that one was only really visible during the winter. He personally felt that that one might be his favorite.

Then there was the bright star that shown constantly towards the north, easily visible almost all of the time. He had used that star as a reference point many times during his travels. He wondered if it was the same sky that was around while he was a human, but that was so long ago that even the very vague memories he'd held before were disappearing. But that had stopped bothering him long ago, since before he had lost his family.

But quite possibly his favorite part of the night sky was the bright moon shining overhead. At the moment, it was waning, and he knew that it would disappear in the coming days and allow the lesser lights in the sky their own time to shine, unimpeded by the moons brilliance. Full moons though… they had his blood tingling with joy and calmed him many times during his fifteen years alone.

Leitand continued to stargaze as they flew, unaware of Sonvari's rider watching him thoughtfully the entire time.

Finally, a few hours after sunset, Hiccup called something out, snapping Leitand's concentration back to those around him. Sivast turned to look at him, smiling his gummy smile. "We are here!" he rumbled ecstatically, glad for the promise of being able to sleep soon. Leitand grinned his own gummy grin back, before speeding up to roll over the top of the other night-scale, forgetting that he had cargo attached to him. The sudden weight shift dragged a yelp of surprise from him as he was about to finish his pass, causing him to plummet past the stunned dragon and rider pair upside down, before he finally caught himself.

He sheepishly flew back into formation, pointedly not looking at any of the dragons or humans now laughing at him. Giving off a disdainful sniff, along with a few licks across his chest, he followed the smaller night-scale as they flew down towards a cluster of buildings on the otherwise untouched island. He had to admit, it certainly was impressive for a crew of teens, with their dragons, to accomplish.

They flew down towards what he assumed was a landing pad in the center of the raised buildings, sporting what looked to be a closeable dome around the circular area. As they touched down, Leitand a little heavily due to the extra weight he was unaccustomed to landing with, they were greeted by a stocky, dark haired young man who bore a strong resemblance towards Spitelout from the village.

The riders dismounted, and the twins and Fishlegs immediately went to relieve Leitand of his heavy burden, calling out to the new human as they did to help. The young man, Snotlout if he remembered, _and what a silly name that is, _said something back to them and began to approach. As soon as he saw and recognized Leitand for what he was, he stopped dead in his tracks, bumbling something to himself. Leitand tilted his head curiously at him, even as he heard Tuffnut begin to introduce him, recognizing only the name 'Pretty Boy'.

Shaking off his surprise, apparently, Snotlout hesitantly approached to help with them unloading the supplies strapped to him. Leitand was delighted to see that the new teen was apparently strong, as the unpacking went by a _lot _faster than loading and strapping went earlier.

Once he was free, Leitand took a couple steps back and immediately shook himself, stretching all of his strained and aching muscles, as few as they were. He decided that he could carry more in the future, provided that he didn't forget he had the extra weight again. _Don't know if I'm going to live that one down for a while, _he grumbled to himself as he mosied over towards where Sonvari was getting unloaded by Astrid. He was grateful that his contributions meant that the others didn't have to carry nearly as much weight as they normally would have, even more so as _Sonvari _didn't have to.

"We here!" his sister chirped brightly at him, rattling her spines and flicking her tail. "You here too! You nest with me, yes?"

Leitand purred loudly, rubbing his cheek firmly against hers. "I not going anywhere you not," he promised her, rapidly licking her face affectionately. She hummed her delight, and then hummed again when her saddle was finally freed. Leitand dipped his head down towards the saddle and took it into his maw, teeth securely sheathed, before turning to Astrid with a questioning look, raising his frills expectantly.

The blonde laughed, and pointed toward one of the huts surrounding the landing area, saying something to Sonvari who squawked before taking off. Taking his cue, Leitand took flight to follow her.

The hut itself was very… spartan. It was neat and orderly, and more or less exactly what he had expected from what he knew of Astrid, which was admittedly not much. Looking into the hut itself, Leitand frowned as he tried to figure out where to put the saddle. Deciding that it wasn't particularly important, he set it down along one of the walls, figuring that Astrid would move it later anyway.

Sonvari hummed softly to herself as she curled up in a worn out looking area of the hut that he deemed her 'nest'. "Will be back, Sonvari-dear-sister," he told her, drawing her attention. "Want to speak to Sivast-friend first."

She rumbled her approval, which amused him, before curling up tighter to sleep. Turning around, Leitand quickly exited the hut and went back to the platform where most of the others were still gathered, barring the twin-scale and stone-scale.

Sivast turned to him as he arrived, purring quietly. "We will be going to sleep soon," he told Leitand.

Leitand hummed his agreement, sitting back on his haunches next to other night-scale. "What they saying?" he asked curiously.

Sivast flicked his tail in amusement. "Explaining you and planning for tomorrow."

Leitand hummed thoughtfully, tilting his head. "So… what we doing tomorrow?" He settled down on his stomach, beginning to groom himself for the night, starting with his right forepaw as tradition demanded.

The green-eyed night-scale's frills twitched. "I do not know completely," he started, beginning to groom himself half-heartedly. "More islands to explore, but Hiccup also has his light-stick-thing that shows him things. Needs a kin's flame to work though."

Leitand nodded, narrowing his eyes at Sivast's pitiful attempts at cleaning himself. He sighed a very put-upon sigh, and stood up, quickly moving closer to the other dragon to groom him himself, much to Sivast's surprise. "If doing something, do right," he chastised, giving the smaller dragon what was probably his first serious cleaning in years. "Dam would be ashamed if I not."

Sivast swallowed his complaints, a rumbling purr rising in him as he relaxed to Leitand's ministrations. Their actions had drawn the humans' attention, though Leitand was pointedly ignoring their presence, and he heard a bit of laughter in their voices as they watched. After some time, Sivast decided that he was clean enough and started to stand up, only to be forced back down by Leitand's paw pressingly firmly on his back as he was working on the base of his wings. That drew audible laughter from those watching, before they turned back to their own conversation.

Once he was finally satisfied with his work, Leitand let the smaller dragon up, grinning gummily at his grumbling. Sivast huffed good-naturedly. "Thank you, Leitand-friend," he purred. Leitand dipped his head in acknowledgement, and turned towards the humans, tilting his head curiously. Sivast spoke again. "They will be at this for a while. Go sleep, we will probably be busy tomorrow."

Leitand ruffled his wings, shaking his head. "Not sleep now," he responded, sitting back on his haunches to stare up at the stars. "Want sky-watch for now. Night-sparks very bright now."

Sivast hummed his agreement, sitting up himself to watch as well. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the humans in the background of the otherwise quiet night. Eventually, Sivast broke the silence again.

"Leitand-friend," he started, still looking at the stars. "How did your family die? Sonvari-friend does not talk about it but… I want to know. It helps, sometimes, to talk about past pain."

Leitand took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then slowly let it out. "Imagine it worse for Sonvari-dear-sister," he started, gazing at the moon to keep himself calm. "She not know I live." He closed his eyes tightly, bracing himself for the pain of remembering. "Started as nothing. I was flying over small-lands near den during night. Did that often, I like the night. Saw ships in water, ten-and-one or ten-and-two, I not remember. Not seen humans close to den before, flew down to look closer. Did not see human in high-perch, but saw me. I flew back to den, told Sire and Dam about ships. Then we slept."

He paused for a moment, a sorrowful croon escaping him unconsciously. "Next light, we told not to fly," he continued. "Too dangerous. I went to watch ships from bushes and trees, as family hunted. Watched long time, they not know we there. They suspect, but not know. Family joined me to watch after while, most of suns journey. But… one not with us." Leitand swallowed hard, looking down at his forepaws. "He… he want to prove himself to us. To me. I eldest-brother, I strongest. He flew over them, curious, only curious, not meaning harm." The words started to poor out of him, and he found that he couldn't stop, not until he had finished the tale.

"Humans, kin-hunters, they not care. They see kin, they kill kin… the shot him. Big-sharp-flying-stick. Front to back, he was dead. I… pain only in mind. My mind, Sire's mind. We flew out to ship, we land… we kill. All of them, we kill. Sink ship after, but other ships came closer. Pain, so much pain… we felt pain, pain to rage, rage to… rage to death. We were flying away, next ship shoots us with small-sharp-flying-sticks, rest of family joins to defend. We kill all, sink ship. Rest of ships near now, too near to run. We attack, we try to kill all. I… I kill most. Sire killed next, then brother. Dam tells me to fly, take Sonvari-dearest-sister and escape. I… I obey. We fly away, I look back, I see Dam fall… Other ships chasing us, they would have caught us. I… I could not let happen. I tell Sonvari-dear-sister to go, go and not look back. Then I turn to ships. I… rest is blur, I dive, fire, dive, fire… I kill all. No kin-hunter lives when I done. But… I hurt. Many conflict-wounds, pain… it all pain. Loss. I fly away, land on small-land and sleep. Then I wake, and go after Sonvari-dear-sister. For ten-and-five season-cycles."

The pair was silent after Leitand had finished his story, Leitand dimly aware that at some point Sivast had pressed himself into his side, crooning comfortingly to him. Leitand took another deep breath, and turned to look up at the stars and moon again.

"What… what were their names?" Sivast asked, hesitant. Leitand rumbled to himself, immersing himself in happier times.

"They were Sire Velin, Dam Eska, Falan-dear-brother and Falith-dearest-brother," he replied softly. "Sire was wise, loving and fun. Dam was fierce, loving and caring. Falan-dear-brother was adventurous, always want approval and pride. Falith-dearest-brother was quiet, but wanted to be like me. Would follow everywhere, try to copy. Almost as much as Sonvari-dearest-sister." By the time he'd finished speaking, he was purring happily, as was Sivast.

"I wish I could meet them," the green-eyed night-scale rumbled. Leitand dipped his head, nodding softly. Sivast then sighed, glancing upwards. "Thank you, Leitand-friend. I know it was hard for you to tell me, but thank you."

Leitand hummed his acceptance, and got to his paws, stretching as he did so. "Think now we sleep," he purred, shaking his head. "Talk again later?" After Sivast had dipped his head in acknowledgement, Leitand returned to Sonvari and her rider's hut.

Moving carefully so as not to wake her, Leitand settled himself down around her, breathing in her familiar, comforting scent. It filled his head with thoughts of happier times, and he felt what remained of the pain ease in her presence. The words of his promise, spoken so long ago, rang in his head, and he reaffirmed himself to it.

With happy thoughts in mind, and a welcome sense of love, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Again, **_**wow **_**does it feel so good to have this chapter done!**

**First off, you guys are absolutely incredible. Just the loyalty and the following this story has gained, even throughout this major hiatus, is jaw dropping. You're going to make a dumb ole' grunt tear up.**

**Now, onto the other things. **_**Seeker **_**is officially off of hiatus! That said, it might be a while before I update again, but it won't be longer than a week or two. I want to regain my buffer, and also writing times for me might be sporadic. I want to thank everyone that has stuck with this story, and I sincerely hope that my writing skills haven't diminished in the 7 months I've been gone.**

**In the way of personal updates, as you know from previously, my folks house flooded and that was the start to a shit-ton of stress and drama and general shenanigans. Almost got evicted (twice) went through a lot of stress and bs at work, my schedule changed frequently at work, sleep was practically non existent, my dealership was bought by another auto group (improvement there, thank fuck) general life bullshittery getting in the way, almost reenlisted, beta went to boot and more and more mental problems I have acting up.**

**So yeah, it's been a lot of bullshit in a very short amount of time. I would like to say a special thanks to Deadly-Bagel for helping to keep me sane throughout this nonsense, and also being instrumental (whether he knows it or not) in me finally cracking down and getting this chapter out. (Not to mention his acting as a temporary beta for me while I find a new one.) I tried two or three times to write this chapter, the first barely went anywhere, the second made me cringe to all hell, and then I ended up with this one. Which… I wrote in a single night. Wow, I really should get to bed, it's 3am and I work in 6 hours. Bah, sleep is for the weak. Or sleep for a week. I forget which one.**

**Again, a massive, massive, **_**massive **_**thank you to absolutely everyone who is reading or supporting me. It was rough, but we got through it!**

**-Aelan**


	9. Chapter 9

**Greetings and salutations!**

**Well, it's been a while, yet again. 2020 sure went to shit real quick, didn't it? Covid 19, riots, general discord… doesn't help that I live in Minnesota, just south of the Cities.**

**More in the after AN, but for now, I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Fair warning, I am officially betaless, so… well, mistakes might be more common. I've gone through as best I could, but still.**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 9:**

When Leitand woke up in the morning, it was to the welcome sensation of not being alone. Rising to his paws with a yawn, he quietly crept out of Sonvari's hut, pausing at the entrance to look back with a smile. With another yawn and a stretch, he quietly glided down to the circular area he had deemed the landing pad the night before.

Taking a deep breath of the crisp morning air, he shook his head with a wry grin. _Sun's just rising after a late night, and I _still _can't sleep in, _he mused, taking flight. _I suppose I shouldn't take so many naps during the day… nah. I love mornings like this. _Quickly increasing his altitude, he began to glide over the islands below him, the familiar excitement at seeing new sights tempered by a yearning desire for something… more.

Shaking his head once more, he decided not to dwell on such things and instead keep a sharp eye out for breakfast. A faint glimmer, unique against the glinting waves, caught his attention and drew him in.

When he returned to the 'Edge', the sun was clear of the horizon and shining brightly down on them. Faint noises arising from the huts as he landed signaled that some of the others were waking up, and he found himself wondering just what they did with the base. _Explore maybe, _he thought, beginning to groom himself for the morning. He wasn't sure but he decided that he really didn't care. After fifteen years of solo flying, he was just happy to be with other dragons, even if they _did _have humans with them.

"Good morning, Leitand-friend," a familiar voice called, drawing his attention from his grooming session. Raising his head towards the other night-scale, he let out a friendly purr in greeting as he went back to cleaning.

"Good morning, Sivast-lazy-friend," he responded in between licks and nips. "Better say 'Good day', sun-cycle almost half done!" His eyes narrowed playfully at the green-eyed dragon, before he ignored him.

Sivast let out an offended huff. "The sun-cycle has barely even started and you know it," he mock growled, batting a paw at Leitand, much to the other dragon's amusement. "It was a late night."

Leitand hummed noncommittally. "Scales dirty, should clean them," he remarked, eyeing his friend's pelt.

Sivast rolled his eyes in a _very _human gesture that Leitand just knew he got from Hiccup. "Yes Leitand-Dam," he grumbled, drawing an amused purr from Leitand and glancing at his scales as well. "You groomed me yesterday, I should not be dirty again already."

Leitand glared at him, relaxing only when the other male gave in and began to groom himself. Leitand beamed at him. "Good boy, Sivast-son," he warbled, puffing up his chest as he rose to his full height. "Clean scales make you fly better, is fact." Satisfied with his work done, Leitand stood up and strutted past him, absently flicking tail against the smaller male's face as other dragons came out to greet the day. A sly glance behind him revealed Sivast's bewildered expression, causing him to purr. _Dam indeed. Brat._

**(-)**

Most of his excitement for the day disappeared as soon as everyone had breakfast. He'd been anticipating just heading out immediately to explore the surroundings, even if they looked slightly familiar to him from his previous experiences. Instead, they'd all been brought to a hut where Hiccup addressed them as they sat or stood in a semi-circle around him, the dragons standing or sitting behind them.

_I know that a plan makes things nice and smooth, _he thought with a despondent huff. _But sometimes, that can take all of the adventure out of it. _

So he resigned himself to a boring meeting, a meeting in which he understood positively nothing. Sonvari noticed his discomfort and agitation, flashing him a sympathetic glance and a comforting chirp. Leitand nudged her affectionately, running his tongue down the back of her neck before turning back to Hiccup to pretend to listen.

The young man said a few more things, and then he moved over to a side table and drew out a strange cylindrical object with a lens on either end of it. "What that?" he warbled curiously, glancing at Sivast, who was sitting near him.

The smaller night-scale turned to grin gummily at him. "He calls it the 'Kin-Eye,'" he explained. "It shows the islands around us and has some information on the types of kin. Needs a kin to flame it to work though."

Hiccup then placed the object on the table sporting an odd mount, one that Leitand now knew to be for the 'Kin-Eye,' and called for Sivast to come to him. Without further ado, the night-scale gracefully walked forward and ignited a small bit of fire in his mouth, placing it in front of the lens away from the wall.

Instantly the wall was covered in an image, which had Leitand immediately groaning in mental agony. _Great, _he grumbled to himself, ignoring the concerned looks he was getting from his sister. _I'm a dragon and I _still _have to sit through a fucking PowerPoint presentation. Fuck you, Uncle Sam, and your love for this form of torture._

Hiccup flashed him a confused look, before ignoring him and turning to the image, pointing at a few spots as he started speaking again. Leitand forced himself to study the image. As he looked, he was surprised to find that it looked shockingly familiar, though he didn't know why. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he leaned forward, studying it intently. Then it clicked inside his head and his eyes widened.

**(-)**

"We've already been here," Hiccup said, pointing to the island in question. "And I think I speak for everyone when I say that we're not going back."

"You're telling me," Snotlout muttered, drawing the rooms attention. "I don't feel like seeing if that Deathsong has escaped yet."

"Exactly," Hiccup said, turning back to the wall. "And we met Viggo here last time. I think that we should explore the islands around where we saw him and see if we can't come across his base. We would have to move quietly, and we should…" he was cut off as their newest member suddenly moved through the crowd to approach the wall.

Hiccup frowned slightly as the new Night Fury, Pretty Boy, suddenly peered closely at the image, keeping his head in a way that didn't block the light from the Dragon's Eye. "What do you think bud?" he asked, with more than a little amusement at seeing the intimidating dragon so interested in a map. "Pretty cool, right?"

Pretty Boy glanced at him for a moment, before turning back to the map, his silver eyes glittering calculatingly. Then, to the surprise of absolutely everyone in the room, he reached up a massive paw and used his claw to start making marks on the wall.

Hiccup's jaw dropped as the new dragon started to put neat little x's through several of the islands. Fishlegs' jaw dropped when he put a _question mark _next to an island. Everyone else was just completely stupefied, especially when other islands started getting a neat circle around them.

Then Fishlegs gasped, drawing Hiccup's attention. "Hiccup!" he exclaimed, moving over to stand to the other side of the image, keeping out of the way where Pretty Boy was marking the map. He pointed to one of the islands with an 'x' through it. "That's the island with the Deathsong! And this one is the one with the Whispering Deaths! And this… he's crossing out all of the islands that are dangerous!"

Hiccup just nodded, watching carefully as the Night Fury continued his work. "That's…," he started before cutting himself off, sitting heavily on the ground to stare up at it. "That's incredible! Oh my Thor, that makes sense! The ones with the circles must be safe, and the ones with question marks he must not know! What's that star for in the middle of the ocean? Wait a minute… Pretty Boy must have a _lot _of experience in these lands if he's this confident. Do you think he could be a sort of guide for us?"

**(-)**

"What are you doing?" Sivast asked him, making Leitand turn back to him briefly before returning to his work.

"Marking islands that are dangerous," he explained, continuing. "Islands that are safe. Islands I not know. Oh, also best fish spot I know here."

_And it seems like they're understanding, _he thought with some amusement, as the big one, Fishlegs, was growing super excited. Once he'd finished his self appointed task, he returned to his spot and began to groom his chest and right shoulder, ignoring all the looks he was receiving from the gathered humans and dragons.

"Pretty Boy," he heard Hiccup say, garnering his attention. He tilted his head curiously, blinking at him. The young man started saying something else, speaking quickly and loosing him completely. The human sighed when he realized this, slumping his shoulders and looking down at the ground, dejected.

Then the twins started speaking, with Leitand only flashing them a quick and curious look before returning to look at hiccup. Then they started listing languages, languages that sounded _very _familiar. Finally, one of them said "English?" making him snap his head to stare at them.

Immediately they stopped, with Leitand crooning curiously at them. "English?" Hiccup said, gaining his attention. The young man was looking at him with bright, hopeful green eyes. "You understand English?"

Leitand sighed, ignoring the even weirder looks he was getting from the other dragons, and nodded. Hiccup perked up immediately, jumping to his feet and clapping his hands together before talking to everyone else excitedly in Norse.

"What is he saying?" Sivast asked, garnering Leitand's attention. The larger male purred quietly.

"He want know if I understand… not know word," he said, tilting his head curiously. "Speak? Want know if I understand speak."

Sivast blinked, his frills perking atop his head. "You can understand the humans in that language then?" he asked excitedly.

"Pretty Boy," Hiccup cut in, drawing the larger dragon's attention. "These marks, they show islands that are dangerous and islands that are safe, right?"

Leitand nodded, his purr filling the air. Hiccup grinned hugely, pumping a fist in the air. "Yes!" he exclaimed, glancing back at the board and speaking in Norse to Fishlegs. Then he turned back to Leitand with a curious expression. "What's the star for?"

Leitand opened his mouth to respond, realized he was an idiot, then sighed and closed it, wondering how the hell he'd explain that. Seeing no other option, and wondering if he'd regret this, he stepped in front of him again and tapped the ground with a claw, garnering their attention.

Then, using one claw, he started to trace out shapes that he hadn't thought of or attempted in years. _"Fish," _he wrote out, faintly scratched into the wood.

If his x's and o's had them stupefied, this one word had them positively flummoxed. "You can…," Hiccup started to say, before sitting back down in a huff. "You can write."

Leitand snorted in amusement, scratching out a message again. _This is aggravating, _he thought as he wrote. _And takes a lot longer than I'd remembered. _Finally he finished and stepped back for them to read. _"Read too," _he wrote.

Hiccup started laughing, Fishlegs not far behind him. "This is great!" he exclaimed. "Proof that dragons are intelligent! Actual, physical, undeniable proof! And they have a sense of humor too!"

Then, surprisingly, Fishlegs spoke up, coming to stand in front of Leitand with a notebook of sorts out. "Do you have a spoken language?" he asked excitedly. Leitand nodded his head. "What about a culture! Do you have your own culture? Deities or beliefs? Religions? Is it one universal one or does it vary place to place?"

Leitand sighed, giving Hiccup a long, suffering look that had the teen grinning. "Fishlegs," he chided, standing up and putting a hand on the bigger teens shoulder, silencing him. "I don't think he can write that fast."

"Right, right," Fishlegs said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I guess I got a little excited."

Leitand dipped his head graciously, purring. Astrid suddenly came forward to stand next to Hiccup, where she asked something in Norse for Hiccup to translate. Hiccup nodded and looked curiously at him. "She wants to know how you know Stormfly," he translated, gesturing at Sonvari.

After looking at the ground for a minute, he tapped his claw against it before gesturing outside with his head, before leaving the building and gliding down to the dirt. He immediately started writing his response while he waited, hoping that he was translating the name right. Less than a minute later, he was joined by the rest of the crew, who all watched him excitedly, talking to Hiccup with their own questions.

Finally, he was finished and stepped back. _"Little Singer is sister," _he wrote.

"Little Singer?" Hiccup asked, before turning to translate to Astrid. Then he turned back to Leitand with his own question. "How is she your sister? You aren't the same species of dragon."

Leitand hummed as he dragged his paw over the letters, erasing them so he could start again. _"I was adopted," _was his short explanation.

"You're very well spoken for a dragon," Fishlegs complimented. Leitand grinned at him, writing his own response while Astrid and Hiccup had a conversation, Astrid gazing at him with sympathy.

"_Indubitably," _he informed him, making the big human chuckle.

"Are you the average size for a Night Fury?" he asked. Leitand shook his head. "Bigger?" Leitand nodded. "Are there any other Night Furies out there?" Again, a nod. "Where?" This time, he shrugged. "Then how do you know that they're out there?"

Leitand chortled quietly, and tapped a claw to the bite at the base of his neck. Fishlegs' eyes widened in understanding, and he nodded. "Fair," he said simply. "I imagine it must be hard being away from your mate. Do Night Furies mate for life? Or temporarily?"

Almost immediately the silver eyed Night Fury started coughing in surprise, flashing a look at Sivast. "What he mean 'your mate'?" he asked. Sivast grinned at him.

"The night-scale that bit you," he explained, sidling up to him with a grin, although there was a faint gleam of disappointment in his eyes. "I forgot that you did not have a night-scale family, Leitand-friend. Night-scales mate for life, most of the time, although some do prefer temporary mates. A mark like you have is a sign of a life-mate. It is so your mate will know you, even if you are separated for a long time."

Leitand stared at him, mouth open for a moment, before he jerked his head to stare at the bite mark on his neck. "What!" he exclaimed, staring at it as things started to click into place as to what he remembered. _Sneaky little shit, _he grumbled internally, glowering at the marks. _Apparently, I got fucking married without knowing. Do I _want _to find her now is the question… urgh. For Sivast's sake, I'd better. He can have her. No wonder she was so touchy. Urgh._

He glanced up at Sivast, frowning and almost pouting. "I not agree to this," he complained, making the smaller male laugh deeply. "We find her, you get her."

That shut him up, making the green-eyed dragon stare at him in disbelief. "What do you mean?" he warbled, tilting his head and perking his frills.

"We find her," he repeated, slower this time. "You get her. Is not hard. I been alone season-cycle after season-cycle. I not want mate. You get her."

Not waiting for a response, he turned to look at the confused Fishlegs. Then he cleared out his message and wrote again. _"Both," _he wrote.

The large teen hummed, writing more notes in his book. Then the twins came up to him and started asking him a bunch of questions… in Norse, which he thought had been established that he didn't understand.

"Oh," Hiccup said, realizing his plight. "They want to know war stories. You look like you've been in a lot of fights and wanted to compare."

Leitand snorted in amusement, shaking his head. _"No," _he wrote.

After receiving the translation, the twins immediately started to complain, with Leitand needing no translation. Rolling his eyes, he erased the message and wrote again.

"_Too long," _he informed them. _"Hard to write as is."_

They immediately asked another question, which Hiccup translated with a sigh of annoyance. "How many fights have you been in?" he asked.

Heaving a put upon sigh, Leitand erased the words and wrote two more. _"Dragon," _he wrote, as well as _"Human."_ Then, underneath the words, he drew quick slashes to signify tally marks. Under 'Dragon,' he put twelve slashes. Under 'Human,' he put six.

"Whoa," they said in unison, something that Leitand didn't need translating. Then the male twin, Tuffnut he thought, leaned forward and asked something eagerly. Hiccup frowned, glancing at the tally marks and then to Leitand's scarred pelt.

"They want to know how many people you've killed," he translated.

Leitand didn't even hesitate to shake his head 'no,' making the humans frown. "You mean you've never killed a human?" he asked, with some disbelief. Once more, Leitand shook his head. "What do you mean then?"

"_No," _came his short reply.

Suddenly, Hiccup seemed to understand. "You mean you won't tell us?" he asked. Leitand nodded, and Hiccup sighed with a small smile. "Probably for the best. Night Furies already have a bad reputation, we don't need these knuckleheads making it worse."

Leitand flashed him a curious look, something that the boy apparently understood. "Want to know why they have a bad reputation?" he asked. Leitand nodded, and he shrugged. "No one has ever really seen a Night Fury, or at least not before Toothless and I met. We knew you existed, but never what you looked like, and descriptions ranged from you guys being as small as a Gronckle to larger than a mountain. However, all of the stories agreed that you guys were fierce fighters and capable of immense destruction. There was a story, years ago when I was just a kid, about a lone Night Fury taking on an entire fleet of Dragon Hunter ships. The number ranges from twelve ships to over a thousand depending on who you ask, some saying it was alone and others that a family of Nadders were with it. Ended the same, the fleet got destroyed and the Night Fury flew off alone into the night."

Almost immediately Leitand was drawn back into his memories of the night he lost his family, though he didn't dwell long on them. Instead he crooned sadly, shaking his head. Hiccup smiled at him, gently reaching up to rest his hand on the larger dragon's nose comfortingly. "No worries bud," he said, rubbing gently while Leitand fought the urge to sneeze. "We all know that Night Furies aren't monsters. Actually, you guys are my favorite kind of dragon!"

That had him chuckling, as he nudged Hiccup's hand gently. Then he turned to Sivast, who was staring at the pair with a satisfied smirk. "Your human not bad," he complimented, ruffling his wings. Sivast dipped his head graciously, before raising it to smile his gummy smile at him, making Leitand roll his eyes.

Turning back to face the human, Leitand wrote another message in the dirt, feeling slightly tired of the questions he'd been facing. _"Day's a wasting," _he informed him, grinning a gummy grin at him.

"Right!" Hiccup exclaimed, before turning to the rest of the group and speaking in Norse.

**(-)**

_I can't help but feel like I'll regret letting them know I can write, _Leitand thought to himself as they flew over the water. Ever since they left the Edge, much later in the morning than expected, Fishlegs had scarcely left him alone. He didn't fault the kid for wanting to know things, it was actually a good thing. But, right now, he just wanted to be left alone. Luckily his Gronckle, who he named Meatlug and whom Leitand hadn't had a chance to talk to yet, wasn't nearly as fast as him. So it was an easy task to just fly faster than her, and thus away from Fishlegs.

He had a sneaking suspicion that Hiccup wanted to ask him plenty of questions as well, but at least the riders' leader had a bit more tact. It was easy to see why the others followed him, despite the fact that he was the smallest one of the lot. Bigger did not mean leader, something that he knew well from personal experience. Plus, he did make a striking figure with Sivast, though Leitand wasn't sure how much of that was Hiccup and how much was Sivast. It was hard to _not _look striking with a Night Fury… unless you were cowering away from one.

"Pretty Boy!" a voice called, getting his attention. _Speak of the devil, _he mused, wheeling over to the other Night Fury's side. _And he shall appear._ Hiccup looked at him and nodded once he was close enough to hear. "We're going to be stealthy for this, we don't want Viggo knowing that we're around. Is that something you're able to do? Sorry, I forgot to ask back at the Edge."

Leitand fixed him with a bored stare before gesturing to himself with his head. To his credit, Hiccup seemed to instantly understand and nodded. "Stupid question I guess," he laughed. Then he turned serious. "We'll be exploring the islands near where we saw him last. I know you haven't exactly run into him before, but he's bad news. Dragon Hunter, and very good at what he does. He wants to capture and sell dragons… and that's not something that we want."

Leitand growled quietly and nodded at him, garnering a nod in turn. Sivast glanced at him as well. "Careful Leitand-friend," he warned. "This might be dangerous. Is Hiccup-life-friend telling you about this human we are looking for?"

"Yes," he replied, humming and looking around him. "Have kin been lost to this… Viggo?"

Sivast rolled his head quickly, as though swatting away a fly. "He does not kill," Sivast informed him. "But he has captured and caged kin before… even some of us." He gestured with his head to the other dragons and their riders.

Leitand hummed thoughtfully. "Wonder if met before," he mused aloud. "Freed caged kin before. Is where met Haena-sneaky-friend, was chained and caged."

Sivast snorted in amusement at his title for Haena. "Haena is night-scale-kin?" he asked, frills raised with interest, though he tried to look disinterested.

Seeing right through it, the silver eyed Night Fury chortled in amusement. "Yes," he warbled. "If see, will introduce. Flying now, see you!"

He laughed again and wheeled away, pumping his wings hard as he shot up into the atmosphere, resisting the urge to roar out of sheer joy. Higher and higher he went, ignoring the shouts rising up after him from the humans below. _Hmm, _he mused, debating on seeing how high he could go. He hadn't tried to do that since he was a hatchling, and he was a _much _better flier since those days. The highest he'd been was when he crossed the ocean to the landmass far to the west… the thought sparked a drive in him. _Time to change that, _he thought, pumping his wings harder and faster.

After a time of flying straight up, he glanced back down behind him to gauge his distance traveled. To his surprise, he had traveled an incredible distance in that short time. Sivast, Sonvari and the rest of the dragons were nothing but specks against a glistening backdrop of ocean blue, occasional diamonds of light reflecting off the water. He could see dozens of islands, big and small, scattered all around like green gems amid a trove of sapphire. Satisfied that he was making good progress, he turned his attention towards the task at hand.

It was hard work, flying straight up, but his years of flying incredible distances had improved his wing muscles' strength. So while it certainly wasn't a cake walk, he was able to perform the feat with admirable ease. Soon he reached the high clouds, and then beyond them, the air temperature getting colder and colder.

_Huh, _he mused as he felt the air thinning, his wings no longer catching as much air as they had before. _Something tells me that I won't be able to go much higher._ Already he could see the sky turning a darker color, and the air he was breathing in was icy cold in his powerful lungs. Every breath out resulted in a puff of fog, and he could feel himself getting lightheaded.

_Time to stop going higher, _he thought to himself, angling himself to start gliding. Then he cast his gaze around, taking in the world at this new incredible height. It was… beautiful, in a word. He was well above any clouds, and glancing down towards the ocean below, he couldn't discern exactly where his companions were, lost as they were in the oceanic backdrop. The curvature of the Earth was clear as could be, something that still filled him with a sense of awe. He wasn't a small dragon by any means, but the sheer majesty and size of the world left him feeling awfully small. It was humbling.

When he glanced behind him, he was surprised to see that his fogged breath wasn't dissipating as quickly as he'd assumed it would. In fact, it looked like they were expanding as they stretched out in the sky. _Weird, _he thought, brain feeling slightly foggy. _But cool dude._

A curious idea came to him then. Before he could decide against it, and obviously for the sake of science, he started to pool his fire in the back of his throat. He let it charge for a while, until the heat became almost unbearable even for his heatproof throat and mouth. After making sure that his teeth were sheathed, he glanced up and forward and spat the ball out, watching as the purple plasma streaked across the sky faster than he would have thought possible.

"Pretty," he said intelligently. It traveled a lot further than he'd been expecting… until it finally exploded at what seemed to be almost a mile away. He wasn't going to trust his measurements though, he was finding it very hard to concentrate. The resulting explosion was colorful, bright and… massive. Much bigger than he'd been expecting. "Oh no."

Not wanting to run through it himself, he quickly fell into a dive, tucking his wings in close to his side while making minute movements to make him go even faster. The piercing whistle arose quickly, making him hum in contentment. It'd been a while since he'd heard the sound. And so he dove, aiming towards where he thought his companions would be.

**(-)**

"Whoa," Ruffnut and Tuffnut said in unison, both of them looking up at the sky. The group had tightened up after Pretty Boy had flown up into the sky, and now they were close enough that conversation could flow easily between all of them. "You don't see that everyday."

"What?" Hiccup asked, turning around in his saddle to look at them. Without saying a word, they both pointed up in the sky, his gaze turning to follow the direction of their fingers along with the other Riders.

There, impossibly high in the sky, was a purple spherical fireball that he instantly recognized as belonging to a Night Fury. It was… even from where he was, far below it, it was massive. Blinking in surprise, he patted Toothless' head as he reached into a pouch to pull out his spyglass. "Toothless," he said, bringing the device up to his eye. "Toothless, look up. Was that Pretty Boy?"

He received a surprised warble from his partner, which he took as a confirmation. Through the zoomed lens of his spyglass, he was able to make out a lot more detail. It looked even bigger than before, which didn't surprise him. But, he was able to tell that the explosion took place far higher than the clouds… and he could also see a black blur diving towards them.

"Yeap," he said, lowering the spyglass to his lap. "That's Pretty Boy."

"Why did he do that do you think?" Astrid asked, staring up at it too. The image seemed to last far longer than normal, making Hiccup ponder what was so different about it.

"Cause it's awesome!" Tuffnut exclaimed, leaning forward in his saddle. "Do you think we could get him to do that again? For research purposes?"

A piercing whistle reached their ears then, signifying that Pretty Boy was getting closer. "You'll have to ask him," Hiccup replied, spotting the dot that was the other Night Fury without the spyglass now.

They heard the whistle for a lot longer than any of them had heard it before, a testament to how high the Night Fury had gone. It just got louder and louder… until he suddenly rocketed past them, a startled yelp arising from Sonvari… and Pretty Boy himself, before the whistling suddenly ceased followed by the splash of water. Shortly after, they were joined by a water slicked Night Fury who was looking distinctly embarrassed.

"Overshot?" Hiccup asked in English, fighting the urge to laugh. Pretty Boy nodded sheepishly, making him burst into laughter, shortly followed by Fishlegs.

**(-)**

"What happened?" Sivast asked him as he took up a position near him. "That was a lot of fire."

Leitand shook his head as though to clear it, scattering droplets of water while he clicked his teeth together. "Wanted see how high I go," he explained. "Hard to think, was curious, so fired. Not expecting that."

Sivast warbled his amusement, Sonvari not far behind with her own chirped amusement. "Silly Leitand-eldest-brother," she chattered, flying up on the other side of him. "Dam and Sire both say not fly high. Go sick-in-head, not for us."

He frowned, wriggling his body to shake loose any remaining drops of water. "Forgot," he said sheepishly. "Was fun, but not need do again. Nice to see Earth-dam, humbling. Big."

Sivast hummed his agreement while Sonvari chirped hers, rattling her spines. "How high?" she squawked, tilting her head to look at him.

"Higher than soft-white-clouds," he replied, gazing up at the sky, where the residue from his 'experiment' was still visible. He wondered why that was, usually it would just disappear a lot faster. "Blue-sky grow dark-blue like night-sky. Hard to fly."

She hummed and bobbed her head in understanding, darting over to nudge him with her head affectionately. "Still Attention Seeker," she chattered, making him purr.

"Attention Seeker always," he shot back, making her laugh.

"Attention Seeker?" Sivast asked, drawing their attention. "Why are you called that?"

"Dam and Sire joke," Sonvari replied, Leitand nodding his head in agreement. "You know him, you understand. Play on name."

"I see," the smaller Night Fury replied, glancing at him. "You like attention?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Like, not like," he hummed, flicking his frills. "Is same. Get attention both ways. No difference. Is understandable, am very handsome."

Sonvari coughed out a laugh while Sivast warbled his own amusement. "I think I am more handsome," he returned evenly. "Not as many conflict-scars."

Leitand rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Adds character," he sniffed, glancing at his pelt. "Story with all, story means experience."

"What is the story with the once on your cheek?" he asked, making Leitand smile and purr happily.

"Boar," he replied. "Was one moon-cycle, on own. Tried stalking, heard noise from green-grass bush. Pounce on it… it boar. Fierce, sharp-tusk boar. Hard fight, first fight… but I win. And get meal."

Sonvari bobbed her head sagely while Sivast laughed again. "One moon-cycle?" he asked, incredulous. "Sounds like it was rough. When did you join your family-kin?"

He hummed thoughtfully, casting his memory back. "Three, maybe four moon-cycles," he replied. "Taught self how to fly when moon-cycle and half, threw self off mountain. Learn quick that way. Was exploring, almost crashed into mountain, panicked, landed in small clearing. Smelt new scent, was curious so followed. Found Sire and Dam building nest, watched them. Then Dam found me… was good day. Best day, maybe. Your family-kin? You not speak of them."

Sivast seemed impressed by what he learned, something that made Leitand's ego rise some. "I do not remember my sire," he started, glancing around them. "Just Dam. She was a beautiful night-scale, taught me everything I know. I was told I once had a sibling, but I do not remember that. Sire and sibling died when I was young, far away from where I was raised. I vaguely remember a lot of soft-sand, and play fighting. That is all though. Dam passed when I was five season-cycles. She lost her tail-fin to a bear, could not fly after. Slowly went sick-in-head. It was… difficult to watch. I could not help her, no matter how hard I tried. She lived for a season-cycle after she lost it, until she fell off a cliff into the ocean. Not able to fly out, eventually tired and drowned."

Leitand crooned sympathetically, tapping his wing with his own gently. "Sorry," he offered, regretting asking and bringing up bad memories.

Sivast shook his head as though ridding himself of a fly. "It is no problem," he replied, giving him a gummy smile that Leitand returned. "Season-cycle after, I was enslaved by the monster-kin… until I lost my tail-fin in a raid and Hiccup found me. The rest is known."

He hummed in agreement, eyeing the human atop his companions back, who was currently engaged in a conversation with the rest of the riders. "He take tail-fin?" he asked curiously, pointing at Hiccup with his nose.

Immediately Sivast seemed to stiffen, eyeing Leitand cautiously. "Yes," he answered shortly. "But do not think to harm him for it. I have made my sins and have been suitably punished. He gave back what he took, and you do not have the right to say otherwise."

Leitand blinked, surprised at the passion in his voice. "Just question," he said calmly, warbling a small laugh. "Am not big bad killer-kin. You forgive, your choice. I not interfere. Calm."

Sonvari glanced worriedly at the pair, before deciding that she would go chat with the flame-scale, squawking a farewell as she flared her wings to pull back. Sivast stared at Leitand intently, before relaxing.

"You do not seem like a bad kin, Leitand-friend," Sivast said, shaking his head again. "But you have clearly seen conflict. I worry that not all of it was justified."

Leitand hummed, debating to himself. "Once, it not have been," he admitted, Sivast's unblinking green eyes focused on him, listening to his words closely. "Was time I might kill human without cause. Thought would for long time, they take so much from me. Two families, I witnessing destruction of both. Season-cycles after I lose family-kin, I see first human-nest. I wanted to kill them, I admit. But… the great Earth-dam not nice to all. I have struggles, you have struggles, they have struggles. They have hatchlings, elderly, younger, older. They trying to survive. I not fault them for that. After thoughts… anger fades. I hold on too long."

His gaze sharpened and he stared at Sivast with an equal intensity. "I not lie," he told him. "I killed many humans. Ten-and-ten and more. Many more. Always justified. If no threat, I not kill. Spared many. I not apologize for those I kill. Always justified. Never an innocent. So… not worry about me harming your human-nest. They good. I not care about past, past is past. Understand?"

Their gazes met for a while, no words passing between them despite an entire conversation seeming to take place. Finally, Sivast grunted and nodded. "The past is the past," he agreed, glancing at Hiccup, who'd noticed that things were rather tense between his partner and Leitand and was staring at them with concern. Then he turned to Leitand. "I hope you understand that my hesitance is not personal. I will protect my own… and that includes the humans of Berk-nest now."

Leitand hummed and nodded. "Expect nothing less," he informed him. "You good kin, honorable kin. Your suspicion is… justified. I not say I not do same if was you. Still… you Sivast-friend. I not hurt friend, wish you knew. I like Hiccup, is good human. He friend too, not hurt." His eyes filled with mirth then, as he turned his gaze towards Fishlegs. "Not say same for Fishlegs. Might sit on him."

Sivast warbled his amusement, staring at the large teen, who noticed their stares and was looking decidedly nervous. "Understood," he replied, purring loudly, an activity that Leitand joined him in as they turned back towards the horizon in front of them. They both heard Fishlegs breath out a sigh of relief, making their purrs raise in intensity.

Sudden calls rang out from the riders, and Sivast turned serious once more, turning to face Leitand. "We are here," he informed him, pointing at the three large islands they were rapidly approaching.

**(-)**

The job that Leitand was given was simple enough. He had the most experience in exploration by more than a few years, so he would head out by himself. Coincidentally, he was also the only dragon without a rider. That meant that he was the most mobile of them all, despite his bulk. To be fair, the flame-scale was bigger than him so he couldn't claim to be the biggest. But… well, he was a happy middle ground between bulky and stealthy. The twin-heads were too stupid to be adequately stealthy, and the stone-scale was in a similar situation, though with her it was more a case of not being able to concentrate. Sonvari would do a fine job, except for the fact that her brilliant scales would stand out in the brush.

Thus, it was down to the night-scales to do the stealthy work solo… and Leitand was the better choice of the two as he could go by himself, without a fear of getting trapped. And so it was decided, via Hiccup, that he would explore one island by himself, whereas the others would split into two teams to explore the other two islands. He wasn't going to complain, he was used to this sort of stuff.

That had been decided a few hours ago, shortly after they had landed in a secluded cove on the largest island. The island he was exploring was the smallest of the trio… but it was still pretty damned big, seemingly being one giant hill rising out of the ocean, though it was more of a pseudo-mountain. It was big enough that, in the hours since they separated, he still had yet to reach the other side. Admittedly, he was being cautious and taking it slow. His routine of disguising his scent had been done quickly, and he wasn't worried about being detected by other dragons. It was just a matter of sound and sight now.

_Honestly, _he mused as he prowled through the undergrowth. _This isn't what I'd anticipated doing today. Certainly is exciting though. I feel like a spy… or, at least, a dragon crawling through the brush._

It was getting to the point where he didn't imagine he would see anything, and he wondered if there would be anything on the island. It was only a chance after all, it wasn't for certain that the humans would be here. Regardless, he'd do his job to the best of his ability. Predictably, it was as soon as he had these thoughts that he started to hear things.

At first it was innocent enough, a rock shifting here and there. Nothing out of place, could have been dislodged by some prey animal scampering about. That changed, however, when he heard the cough… followed by a voice shushing the cougher.

Immediately, Leitand froze, perking his ears and crouching lower to the ground, careful to not make a sound or disturb any of the brush, and cast his gaze around, looking for anything out of the ordinary. _There, _he thought, a glimmer of pale skin flashing through the trees and plants encompassing the forest he was in. Moving as slowly and quietly as possible, he made his way around them until he could clearly see the two individuals… looking up at the sky. _Huh._

He heard one of them mutter to the other, catching the words "Dreki," and "Night Fury," … both of which were still the only words he truly knew in Norse. _They're on watch… for us, _he observed, settling down lower on the ground to wait and think.

Some shuffling sounded shortly after he started watching them, debating on what to do. Only moving his eyes, he looked towards where the sound had come from. Another duo of hunters were approaching the watching pair, both dressed in green and brown clothing, covered with leaves and grass. It was very clever actually, if you weren't looking for it, chances are you wouldn't even notice them in the surrounding greenery. _Changing of the guard, _he mused, watching as they had a brief, hushed conversation before the two previously on watch rose to their feet and quietly crept through the undergrowth while the other two sat down to watch.

Quickly deciding on a course of action, Leitand crept after the two humans that had just left, figuring that they would lead him back to their base. So he followed, quietly, but being sure to keep them in line of sight in case they pulled any tricks to lose their scents. It was lucky that he did, as he noticed on more than one occasion where they stepped oddly to dodge a trip wire, or walked around an innocent seeming pile of leaves that proved to cover a pit… as was proven by an unlucky squirrel that raced across it, only to fall with a panicked chatter.

For some reason, Leitand felt a perverse sense of pleasure from witnessing that. He did _not _like squirrels. _Bastard fluffy rats, _he mentally commented with more than a little amusement. _I'm probably a terrible person for feeling like that but… eh. Pricks deserve it._

Soon enough, and numerous dodged traps, they reached the other side of the island, where the two men suddenly turned left and disappeared from sight around a small stone cliff. This made Leitand hesitate, as he didn't know what was around that corner they'd apparently went around… but he couldn't leave now. He had to make certain that this was their base of operations.

Moving very slowly, he peeked his head around the corner… to see a vast cave that overhung the ocean, creating a secret port through a decent sized entrance. It opened up to be much taller and wider, seemingly taking up the entirety of the almost-mountain that made up the top of the island. Honestly, it was a very neat place to discover, and Leitand personally thought that it would make a wonderful place to have a secret nest… if it wasn't for the fact that it was filled with hundreds of Dragon Hunters and a small number of ships, clearly designed for transporting people or dragons.

He could see more than a few dragons about, each one sporting a sturdy looking metal collar and all of them having a dazed, glassy look to their eyes. Something told him that he wouldn't be able to talk to them, it seemed that they were all under the control of an Alpha like his Sire had talked about years ago. The same blank expression and lifeless movements, seeming to be robots as opposed to living breathing dragons.

There was a series of buildings located all around the cavern's interior, something that honestly impressed him from an architectural viewpoint. They sprawled up the sides, and, shockingly, didn't look rickety in the slightest. They were all made of wood, which might have been a huge problem, had it not been for the fact that they were built literally right over the ocean. At the very back of the cavern, he saw more buildings, including one that seemed to be of some importance as it was much larger and more decorative than any of the other buildings. Coincidentally, it also was built on a rocky outcrop that could have been dug out of the cavern wall. High in the ceiling, near almost the exact center, there was a large hole that allowed a fair amount of light to show.

_This… could prove difficult, _he observed. He could retreat now and track down the others to inform them that he'd found what they'd been looking for… or he could try to infiltrate it and gather more information. It looked to be very defensible, with only two possible ways of entering, but that also meant that they could run into a siege type situation… something that any good tactician would try to avoid. They were costly, in both lives and resources. So, it stood to reason that they had another possible method of escape.

If he went back to get the others, he knew that they would still have to infiltrate it to get a better understanding as to what they were up against. That was something that he could _not _risk, particularly since his sister would be one of the ones likely trying to infiltrate it. He knew that he personally was the best person for the job… but he didn't think that Hiccup would like the idea of him going in himself. He didn't want to risk anyone else.

_That settles it then, _he decided, studying the area to look for a point of entry. There was a wooden walkway right next to him that the previous guards were currently walking down, running along the side of the cavern, and he saw another similar one on the opposite wall. Those wouldn't do, he'd be seen before he even got a quarter of the way through.

He could try crawling through the hole in the ceiling, gripping the stone or flying along the ceiling. However, then he ran into the possibility of being seen via accidentally blocking the light, something that he knew would draw attention, or just simply making too much noise. Or dislodging something. Not to mention that there were numerous dragons buzzing around the cavern. _Actually, _he thought, eyeing them. _That could work in my favor. I might be dismissed as just another of their lot… although I don't exactly blend in with the masses. Shit. They probably have guards near the hole anyway, something I don't think I'd be able to get past. Not by myself._

So that idea was out. He frowned, running his gaze along the interior once again, his gaze landing on the ships for some reason. Then it clicked inside his head, and he resisted the urge to growl his approval. _Swim, _he mentally crowed. _I can just swim! I can hold my breath for long enough that it wouldn't be an issue to make it around the cavern's perimeter, easily. Getting to the big building would be a cake walk. I could pop out silently near the corner of the building, crawl up the rock and then see where I get from there._

It was almost perfect. However, he did run into the potential problem of them having underwater dragons keeping watch below… but he didn't see any movement, not even a ripple. He'd have to risk it. If worst came to worst, he could go loud and fight his way out, send up the emergency signal through the hole in the ceiling, and then dip out. _It's decided then, _he thought, moving away from the edge and beginning his descent towards the ocean, thirty feet below him.

Right before he entered, he paused to gather himself, claws biting into the rock and dirt securely. He took a deep breath, held it, and braced himself for the cold. Then he relaxed his grip and noiselessly slid into the water below.

One thing that he really like about being a dragon, and something that he took for granted more often than not, was that sudden temperature changes didn't effect him nearly as much as they would a human. As such, the cold temperature scarcely bothered him, even if he wasn't the biggest fan of it. His eyes were also much better, and he could easily see through the murky water, though not as easily as he could in say a river, or a clear lake, or even a pond. The salt stinging his eyes was tolerable, but it wasn't something that he wanted to experience too often. But… well, it was his only option. He needed to see, and his echolocation didn't work nearly as well under the water. Everything became dull and muted, blurry in a sense.

But this, this was workable. Resisting the urge to hum, Leitand immediately dove down deeper into the water before veering towards the entrance to the cavern. Years of practice made swimming easy for him, and a tail was a _massive _benefit in speed and control. If he really wanted speed, he could use his wings, but that disturbed the water a lot more than he was willing to risk. Paws and tail would do just fine.

The water was noticeably cooler in the cavern, something that didn't surprise him in the slightest. What did surprise him, however, were the pair of Scauldrons currently curled up at the bottom of the seabed. For a moment, he felt his heart stop… until he realized that they were asleep. He resisted her urge to sigh with relief. He wasn't sure how well his fire would work under water, beyond maybe heating it up a little bit.

Moving decidedly more careful, he swam along the edge of the cavern towards the back of the cavern… where he noticed that there was actually a pathway underneath the back wall into the ocean beyond. _What a marvelous bit of nature at work, _he thought with some awe. Things like this were why he loved exploration so much. You saw all sorts of things that just looked incredible. He shook the thoughts from his head, knowing that he had a job to do.

When he reached the backside of the cavern, not counting the tunnel under the water, he cautiously poked his head out of the water to peer at his surroundings. There were a few humans on the walkways above him, but none of them were paying any attention to the water below. However, there were more than enough humans transporting crates from the ships to the 'port' and vice versa. These ones he would have to be careful with, he didn't want to make too loud of a noise. There was certainly plenty of background noise, be it the flapping of dragons wings, the splashing of waves against rock, or the dull murmur of voices. Occasionally, there was even the loud and hearty laugh that cut through the other noises. But it was better to be safe than sorry.

Looking around, he spotted his destination and ducked his head under the water to swim towards it, poking above the surface again shortly after when he reached it. Then he dug his claws into rock, puncturing it easily with his grip strength and sharp claws, and crawled out of the water near silently. _I'd make a fucking awesome spy, _he thought to himself, chuckling inside his head. As soon as he was clear, he crawled into the small alley between the wall of the building and the wall of the cavern and considered his next move.

As luck would have it, he didn't need to make another move. He could already hear voices… speaking English. For not being the spoken language of the region, he sure was hearing it a lot recently. What _really _caught his interest, however, was the fact that he recognized the voice of one of those speaking.

"… be here soon?" Refined asked, Leitand having to strain slightly to hear him even with his powerful hearing.

"I'm positive," another voice, almost as refined as Refined himself. "You saw that explosion. The only thing I know capable of something like that is a Night Fury… and there's only one Night Fury that I know of in this area."

"Why haven't you moved your operation yet?" came Refined's question. "Surely you've had plenty of time? Your last confrontation with him was just last week."

There was a heavy sigh from the other voice. "This isn't exactly a small time operation," he argued, a palm landing heavily on a wooden table. "It takes time. I started the process as soon as I returned, but we won't be able to leave with all of our progress for another week at least."

"Viggo," came Refined, giving Leitand a clue as to who at least _one _of the voices was. "How many times has the brat disrupted your operations here? Surely you'd have contingencies in place by now."

"I do," came the immediate response from the voice he know recognized as being Viggo. "If things do go south here, I'll be able to destroy any evidence as to what we're really up to. However, with something like this, that's the best we'll be able to do."

"Hmm," Refined hummed noncommittally. "Are you sure that you aren't just making excuses? My superiors will not be pleased if that is the case."

"Your superiors," Viggo said calmly. "That is the key word. _Yours_, not mine. You can tell them that I'll uphold my end of the bargain, provided, of course, that they can uphold theirs. How is that project with the Singetails coming anyway? I'm certain that that would be far more pressing for you than what's going on with my area of business."

Refined chuckled quietly. "It's coming along well," he replied, a creaking of wood signifying either someone leaning on a table or sitting back in a chair. "I imagine that we'll be ready in four months time. Will you?"

"We'll be ready before then," Viggo promised, sounding perfectly genuine. "Although I hope that you understand how much more difficult my task is compared to yours."

Refined snorted. "Your efforts are noted," he replied coolly. "But onto more important topics. What is your plan for Hiccup?"

"I imagine that he and his team are exploring these islands as we speak," Viggo replied. "I have teams placed at strategic locations to subdue and capture them. If he's smart, which we both know he is, he'll divide his team to explore the islands faster. Smaller numbers are harder to spot, after all. However… well, it was foolish of him to cause that explosion in the sky. That does give me some concern, as he isn't the type to be foolish. No… I can only assume that it was an accident. A fortunate one for us, as it gave us enough of a warning for me to get my men serious. All three islands are filled with traps, men and decoys. I have men watching the skies at all times, as well as watching any entrance into our little hideout."

"Don't get cocky," Refined warned. "It would be… unfortunate, if you were to somehow meet your demise before things got truly underway."

"Please," came the disdainful response. "Hiccup is many things, but he is not a killer. However, your warning is noted. I will endeavor to remain solely based in reality and facts, not whimsical fantasies of grandeur and certainties."

A shout suddenly rang out from somewhere in the cavern, followed by more shouting. "Ah," Viggo said, sounding pleased. "It would seem that our troublesome pests have been located. My men are moving to secure them now… they won't know what hit them."

**(-)**

Immediately he felt his mind click back into place, and a low growl sounded from deep inside his throat. He knew the two men heard him, as they immediately shut up and the sound of swords being drawn filled the air. His chances at a peaceful escape ceased as soon as he'd heard that his sister was in trouble.

Pooling his fire in the back of his throat, he let it charge for a moment before releasing it into the side of the building, the ensuing explosion exploding the wall inwards in a cascade of shrapnel and fire, shouts of pain erupting from inside from multiple men as the wooden daggers tore into their flesh.

The cavern was instantly silent as the men tried to process what exactly had happened. Leitand didn't wait to give them the chance to respond, immediately darting up to stand on top of the building. Then he roared, a roar of such intense rage that it promised death to those that would defy him.

Immediately a swarm of arrows were launched at him from dozens of bows, while a rush of men roared a challenge and rushed towards him with swords, axes and shields all drawn to bear. Answering their challenge with a roar of his own, Leitand leapt off of the building and onto the wooden platform the men were on. His leap carried him under the swarm of arrows, and right into the first wave of individuals. His weight bore three of them to the ground, crushing their ribs under the force and driving their last breaths from their bodies.

Upon landing he became a blur of motion and death, his wings flaring wide to knock a few unfortunate men into the freezing waters below and his tail cracking down on a mans neck hard enough to shatter it. His claws found soft flesh, arteries being torn open with deceptive ease, while his jaw closed around arm, leg or neck, severing limbs and turning the water below a violent red.

He felt an axe bite into his shoulder and roared, before fighting through the pain to pounce on the individual who wielded the weapon. He died under a flurry of slashes and crushing blows.

Leitand quickly whipped around, his powerful tail knocking the men in front of him into the water while crushing bone and armor indiscriminately. Then he fired a bolt of plasma towards the platform the archers had been standing on, sending men and wood flying. With the route now clear, he took to the sky, ignoring the few arrows that bounced off his thick scales. He flew out to underneath the hole in the ceiling, where he immediately fired three large bolts into the sky, as quickly as he could. The signal to run immediately.

Then his next threat was upon him: dragons. The dragons were driven from their perches and descended upon him in a swarm of fire, needles, claws and colors. Leitand roared at them, the pain he was feeling disappearing as he fell into his bloodlust. Even in midair, he proved to be a dangerous foe, not afraid to grapple with any of the dragons surrounding him, sharp claws and teeth rending scale and flesh, puncturing arteries and showering the water beneath in blood and gore. Leitand noticed none of this, focused only on one singular purpose.

He vaguely heard the shouts of more men, and witnessed another swarm of arrows being launched towards him and the seething mass of dragons. Realizing the danger, Leitand quickly grappled with a flame-scale, angling their bodies so that the attacking dragon was between him and the dangerous swarm. The flame-scale roared in pain, igniting his entire body in his anger, causing Leitand to quickly let go and the swarming dragons to separate as well.

It was then that he remembered the ships had ballistae, and a quick glance towards them confirmed that they were about to be used. Roaring a challenge, he grappled the flaming dragon, once more placing him between himself and the threat right as they fired, ignoring the intense heat. He would be fine, provided that he didn't hold him for too long.

Shortly after, the flame-scale let out a strangled sound and his fire cut out, four ballistae bolts puncturing him completely. He dimly heard Viggo shouting something at his men as he released the dead flame-scale, not bothering to watch him plummet to the water as the other dragons decided to press the attack.

Realizing that these odds weren't looking good even with his skill as a fighter, he cast his mind out to think of an escape even as he was continuing the aerial bloodbath. He was broken from his thoughts when a new foe appeared… the sleeping Scauldrons were no longer sleeping it would seem. And they looked pissed, filled to the brim with excessively hot water.

Not wanting to deal with that kind of firepower, Leitand quickly placed the majority of the mass of dragons between himself and the angry tea pots… when something flew right in front of his head, a long chain trailing behind it. His eyes narrowed as he glanced towards where it originated, seeing that the ballistae were now firing some sort of non-lethal projectile. It then clicked that Hiccup had told him Viggo wanted the dragons to sell. More money with a live dragon as opposed to a dead one.

He quickly spat a bolt in the mans direction, before his view was blocked by a cascade of superheated water. Blinking in surprise, and staring with pity at the unfortunate dragons that were caught in the blast, he used the distraction to try and escape. A quick glance at either side of the cavern revealed that the walkways he'd noticed before were filled with men, each sporting bows and pointed at him. He growled in annoyance, and spat two bolts at both walkways, killing some men in a shower of blood and wood, destroying the walkways as an added bonus.

Then he darted away as fast as he could, turning around a final time to launch his fire at the so far untouched wooden buildings, and a few at the ships for good measure. Then he whipped around and made a beeline towards the island he knew Sonvari to be on.

**(-)**

"Anything?" Astrid asked, glancing at Hiccup out of the corner of her eye. They were in a risky place, perched atop a rocky outcrop that offered them plenty of visibility… but also made them plenty visible to anyone looking for them. Their dragons were located in the trees, out of sight for anyone looking for them with Snotlout keeping guard, and they themselves were lying down, pressing as close to the earth as they could as they peered out over the island towards the other two.

"Nothing," Hiccup replied, spyglass pressed firmly to his head. "Not even a hint of them."

Astrid sighed, burying her head in her arms towards the dirt. "This was a waste of time," she muttered, rolling her head in the crook of her arm. Hiccup chuckled quietly.

"Maybe," he mused, peering through the spyglass once more. "Maybe not. We just need to wait, we'll see something. I know it."

Before Astrid could respond, they saw a purple bolt launching from somewhere over the smallest island, quickly followed by two more. The three exploded brilliantly in the sky, making their eyes widen. It was the signal that something had gone wrong and they needed to flee.

Immediately the duo leapt to their feet and rushed back to their dragons, running as fast as they could, though Astrid made sure to not completely outstrip Hiccup due to him only having one leg. "What could have Pretty Boy worried enough to send that sign up?" she asked him, no longer caring for stealth.

"I don't want to find out," came his reply as they leapt over a fallen log.

As they neared the place Stormfly and Toothless were, they heard the sounds of a fight up ahead, with Snotlout shouting his battle cry and one of the dragons roaring in pain. Astrid immediately drew her battle axe, shouting her own battle cry as she leapt into the clearing.

Immediately upon entering, Hiccup realized that this wasn't going to be easy. There was a shocking number of Dragon Hunters, sixteen of them subduing the three dragons with heavy looking chains while Snotlout tried to fend off ten more. Mentally cursing, he grabbed a stick from the ground and joined the fray, wondering how useful he'd truly be. _I need a weapon_, he thought to himself as he swung the heavy branch, crashing it against one of their aggressors helmets, sending him reeling.

He didn't have much time for more thoughts as he had to focus on dodging axes and fists as he tried to reach Toothless. It seemed that the first thing the Hunters had done was get a muzzle around them each, effectively cutting their firepower in half. Combined with the chains weighing them down, they were practically useless. Something he aimed to change.

Astrid was fairing better than him, having already knocked out three of the Hunters and engaging two more. Snotlout was in a similar situation, looking relieved that he had back up. For a moment, Hiccup was hopefully that they might be able to actually drive them off… until their own reinforcements arrived, the area filled with a mass of burly men that reminded Hiccup as to how small they were.

"It was a trap!" he realized, cursing himself that he realized it far too late.

"You think!?" Snotlout shouted back, incredulous.

Just when he was debating on ordering them to surrender, knowing that they really couldn't beat these odds, he heard a deafening roar sound above them, making a few of the hunters and Hiccup himself glance upwards. Then there was a piercing whistle filling the air, and a wave of relief crashed over the three riders. The hunters, recognizing the sound for what it was, prepared themselves for a fight.

A large purple flash filled the clearing, then an explosion, and suddenly there was blood and gore flying, the screams of injured men filling the air. Almost instantly following the explosion, another roar sounded before a black and red blur flew into the amassed men, crushing more than a few of them with another roar. Hiccup was frozen in shock, not expecting to see something of this caliber as a red mist descended upon them.

Astrid, however, immediately took advantage of the situation to knock out her opponent and race to their dragons, Snotlout not far behind. Pushing aside the turmoil in his gut at the slaughter, Hiccup raced to join them, deftly taking the muzzle off of Toothless before focusing on the chains, the men previously holding them focused on the latest threat.

In what seemed to be an eternity and also an instant, the heavy chains were off and the riders were mounted. Immediately the dragons leapt into the sky, with Hiccup shouting down at Pretty Boy. "We're up!" he called in English.

The large Night Fury immediately performed a 360, sending men flying in all directions before taking to the sky right behind Hiccup and the other riders. Hiccup pulled out his spyglass to look towards where he knew the rest of the riders were at. They weren't fairing any better than they had been a short while ago, surrounded by a lot of hunters.

"We have to help them!" he called out, stowing the spyglass. Then he turned and whistled at Pretty Boy, who immediately snapped his attention towards him. Hiccup pointed towards where his team was fighting for their lives and dragons. Pretty Boy growled and nodded, before taking off, flying far faster than Hiccup had seen him fly before. Astrid, Snotlout and himself weren't far behind, with only Hiccup and Toothless coming even close to matching his speed. It seemed that the adrenaline pumping through the Night Furies was removing any inhibitors that slowed them down.

Toothless flared his wings once they were close to slow down, as he had a rider that was significantly more fragile than him, though he still landed quickly. Pretty Boy had no such inhibitions, bowling into the hunters with another feral roar. Hiccup decided against watching this bloodbath, focusing instead on racing towards the two pinned dragons. He was shortly followed by Snotlout and Astrid, both of whom quickly overtook him to bowl over the hunters between them and the dragons. Upon seeing them, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs all cheered and forced their way back to their dragons.

These went by a lot faster, and Hiccup risked a glance at the fighting behind him. The normally green area was covered in a bright red that stood out prominently against the grass and leaves. Toothless, Hookfang and Stormfly were assisting Pretty Boy, though they weren't aiming to kill like him apparently. Then he turned back to the task at hand.

"Toothless!" he called as the last chain fell away. Immediately his partner was by his side, crouched to let him easily hop into his saddle. The rest of the riders repeated this gesture while Pretty Boy held back the now reduced number of men by himself. They all took off again, heading back towards the Edge.

"We're up!" he called back in English. Once again, Pretty Boy immediately performed a 360 to clear himself some space and took off after them, roaring a message of victory… one Hiccup had a suspicion the hunters wouldn't forget.

And as they flew, Hiccup couldn't help but cast a worried look at the blood soaked Night Fury following them, the dragon strategically located to catch any incoming arrows for the riders… of which a number were being launched. He remembered the story he'd heard when he was young, about a Night Fury taking on an armada by itself, and suddenly had a change of heart.

As he looked at the bloodied dragon, he believed it without a shadow of a doubt.

* * *

**Alrighty!**

**It was a weird chapter to come back to, not going to lie. If it seems kind of janky, that's because I wrote the first portion of the story back in February, and then the rest just recently. **

**As an apology for the delay (again), I made this chapter extra long. A whopping 11.7k words!**

**So I missed the story's anniversary, which sucks, and also missed my own dates to upload… which also sucks. No excuses, I have no good ones other than '2020'. Got a new position at work, two weeks later covid happened and I was sent home for three months, lost my job, got the job back three days later, etc etc. Seriously, what is with this year?!**

**Again, my sincerest apologies towards you readers for the delay, once again unplanned, and a **_**serious **_**thank you to everyone! Seriously, the loyalty is just astounding and I wish I could return that with consistent uploads, but I unfortunately can't. This story is sitting at just over 11k hits, which is awesome, and I'm **_**still **_**getting new followers and favoriters all the time. You guys are incredible.**

**This chapter might be edited content and grammar wise once I get a beta, but for now… uh. Shit. That about sums it up, actually.**

**I sincerely hope you guys enjoy and please, let me know your thought! I enjoy constructive criticism, the goal is to improve after all. I'll see you all next chapter!**

**-Aelan**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well, what do you know? It hasn't been 6 or 7 months between updates.**

**One quick thing to mention in the before A/N, more in the after. I'm looking into getting a cover image for this story. If you darling readers have any recommendations, or if any of you want to do it yourself, please PM me. Otherwise, I'll figure something out.**

**Enjoy the chapter! And I'll see you in the closing A/N!**

* * *

**Chapter: 10**

The problem with losing yourself in a fight, Leitand was finding, was that all the injuries you acquired during the skirmish itself only revealed themselves after the danger had passed. Gouges and slashes in his scales and wings that he hadn't noticed before were making themselves known with a vengeance.

Of particular notice was a gouge in his shoulder, near the crook of his neck, that he received from what he could only assume was a talon. It was in just the right spot for him to feel every time he beat his wings, the muscles stretching and contracting the flesh in such a way that it had his wound almost screaming at him.

When he finally came out of his bloodlust and regained control of all of his faculties, they were all flying in a roundabout path towards the Edge… though Leitand didn't know how long they'd been flying as of yet. A quick glance at his companions revealed that they were all lost deep in their own thoughts, both human and dragon. Even the twins were subdued… and thinking back, it wasn't too hard to understand why.

"Sonvari-dearest-sister," Leitand called, glancing at her with worry prominent in his mind. To his relief, she looked to be unharmed as she glanced at him with a worried look of her own. The tenseness he'd been unknowingly feeling faded shortly after, bringing on the fresh agony of his wounds. "You hurt?"

"No," she squawked back at him, slowing slightly to fly next to him. "No wounds, me or others. Only you. Leitand-dearest-brother… you hurt?"

The silver-eyed night-scale thought for a moment, taking a mental inventory of his injuries. Then he sighed, knowing that lying would be useless. "Yes," he warbled shortly, rolling his shoulders to try and ease some of the tension in them. "I hurt. But, I survive, no serious wound. New conflict-scars, no death."

She hummed, running her gaze down his body. "Many conflict-scars," she observed, concern evident in her voice.

A quick glance down his blood soaked pelt made it clear how much worry she was actually hiding. Already the blood and gore from the skirmish was starting to dry on his usually glossy scales, and he didn't even have to sniff himself to know that he reeked of death. "Most blood not mine," he informed her, though his practiced eye did see some flowing streams from his actual wounds.

He could also feel the burning coldness of metal arrowheads embedded in his underbelly and shoulders. All in all, he _hurt_. A lot. His only relief came from the knowledge that none of his companions, and especially his sister, were injured. He'd gladly take a much worse beating to keep her safe.

She didn't respond, seemingly losing herself in her own thoughts. Leitand took the opportunity to observe the humans and gauge their reactions to what had occurred. Snotlout seemed to be the least affected, as he still held himself high, but he was definitely debating things to himself. Astrid… well, he couldn't tell. He had a suspicion that she was more worried about Hiccup, something that he easily understood. The young leader might have never seen anyone killed before… and well, he just saw a lot of it.

The twins were conversing with each other, casting glances at him as well as Hiccup, making him think that even they weren't oblivious to the issue at hand. Fishlegs was busily scribbling in his note book, glancing at Sivast and himself occasionally before returning to the task at hand. Leitand couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Hiccup… Hiccup looked completely lost, staring down at his folded hands. Leitand winced when he noticed that he had a bit of blood on him as well… and while he was many things, he didn't think that the young teen was a warrior. He was a thinker, a commander, a strategist. His mind wasn't conditioned to experience what he'd just experienced, even if he didn't kill anyone himself.

Despite himself and the situation, Leitand groaned mentally. _Fuck me sideways, _he thought, closing his eyes briefly. _Something tells me that he's going to talk at me once we land. I don't suppose I could get lucky and be able to sleep immediately upon getting back? No, that'd be too easy. Fuck._

So they flew, most with a burdened conscience and Leitand with a burdened body. Getting hurt really sucked sometimes, pain only making daily tasks that much harder. The sun was well below the horizon by the time the Edge came into view, and with its appearance, communication returned to the humans and dragons, barring Leitand.

The dragons touched down on the circular pad, their riders jumping off almost immediately to have a conversation. Leitand tried to land gently, but the strain of the day combined with blood loss proved to be too much. He couldn't slow himself properly, and as soon as his paws touched down, his legs gave way to send him on his stomach.

He groaned in annoyance, forcing himself off the ground to inspect the extent of damage he'd received. A quick glance at his body reminded him that he was covered in ick, which was something that he really didn't want in his mouth right now. The aftertaste of blood was already giving him a headache, humans not being to his palate for obvious reasons.

With a low warble of irritation, he padded to the edge of the pad before jumping off, ignoring the questioning shouts behind him as he glided down to the water. He took a deep breath before impact, and then found himself submerged in the dark cold world of the ocean. The sting of salt in his open wounds was something he'd been prepared for, though it still hurt like hell. He couldn't remember if that helped with infection or made it worse, but decided that it wasn't too terribly important either way. He'd clean himself personally afterwards.

After his impromptu bath, he crawled out of the water, glancing back to see the familiar sight of red tinted water. _Probably not a good thing that this doesn't bother me, _he mused to himself as he flew back up to the platform where the other dragons and riders were. Upon landing, more secure in his footing this time, he immediately started to groom himself, paying particular attention to his more serious wounds.

Footsteps approaching him made him pause, drawing his attention. A quick glance upwards revealed that Astrid, of all people, was coming near him. Mentally sighing and preparing himself to be shouted at, he turned to give her his undivided attention… not that it would matter. He couldn't understand a thing she'd say.

"Pretty Boy," she said once she was near him, her voice surprisingly soft. Then she continued in Norse, something he knew she knew he didn't know. He tilted his head and warbled curiously, perking his frills and sitting back on his haunches.

She sighed, and then pointed a finger at his stomach. Confused, he followed the direction of her finger. Before he could look too closely, however, she started moving closer to him, a gentle hand landing on his neck as she continued to talk in a soothing voice. Internally glowering, he resisted the urge to shove her aside, her soft fingers stroking his scarred pelt feeling incredibly strange and foreign. He decided that he _really _didn't like being touched like this.

Her goal soon became clear when she reached the first shattered arrow shaft in his chest. _Oh, _he thought intelligently. She started cooing softly, speaking in what he assumed to be her way of calming a child. _Just yank it out for fucks sake, I can take it._

As though she could hear his thoughts, she quickly yanked it out, an involuntary whine escaping Leitand at the brief jolt of pain. She quickly said something that he assumed to be an apology, not that he felt one was necessary. With a loud huff, he collapsed onto his side, revealing his arrow ridden underbelly for her to work at.

She yanked out another one, this time with Leitand giving no sign that he even felt it. Encouraged, she started to work faster, though she was careful not to damage him further on accident.

Leitand himself just closed his eyes and forced himself to purr so she knew he wouldn't hurt her and that he appreciated what she was doing. Occasionally it would falter, the only sign that he was experiencing any pain, but for the most part, it remained constant.

So focused was he on controlling his reactions that he didn't notice Sonvari approaching him, until he felt her start to groom him. After that, his purr became more genuine, despite the sharp pointy things being removed from his body.

After what seemed to be an eternity, and after a particularly painful removal near his hind legs, he heard Sonvari's rider say something, sounding cheerful. Leitand cracked open an eye to see her inspecting her handiwork with her hands on her hips, looking mightily pleased with herself. Nodding decisively, she turned to smile at him.

Crooning softly, he motioned with his head for her to come closer. After a moments hesitation, she shrugged and stepped forward to kneel by his head, placing her hand on his neck. He flashed her a gummy smile that had her smiling wider, before darting forward to run his wet tongue up her torso and face, making her splutter in surprise and fall backwards. Leitand was quick to catch her with his tail, not wanting her to get hurt after helping him, and laughed at her. She huffed in mock annoyance, running her hands over her face to try and clear it of the slimy saliva to no avail. Then she muttered something, the only word Leitand recognizing being "Hiccup."

_Oh yeah, _he thought, shifting slightly to look at the small teen, who currently had his face buried in Sivast's neck. _That's going to be a _really _awkward conversation. _Almost as if he'd heard his thoughts, Hiccup suddenly stepped away from his partner and turned to Leitand, looking mightily pissed as he started walking towards him.

"What was that?!" he shouted in English, throwing an arm to gesture out over the sea.

Sonvari, bless her heart, started to squawk a reply for him before Leitand gently shut her up with a nudge of his head. Then, grumbling slightly towards his aching body, he gestured with his head to go down below to the dirt. Then he glided down without a backwards glance, immediately starting to write out his response.

When Hiccup finally arrived a few moments later, still looking furious, he was sitting down to patiently wait. He wasn't surprised to see the rest of the riders following, all of them apparently wanting an explanation.

Once they were down, he reminded himself that they couldn't see in the dark, and lit a small bit of fire that he kept in his maw, bathing their surroundings in an eerie purple glow. Hiccup didn't glance at him, instead immediately looking at his spelled message.

"_Ambush," _was all he'd written.

"I know that!" the teen shouted, apparently not in the mood for smart ass comments. _Too bad, _Leitand thought darkly. _Ask stupid questions, get stupid answers._ "I meant what was that with you _killing _them all?! We don't kill people!"

Leitand heaved a sigh, erasing the message and starting to write again, using the opportunity to stop flaming and recover his breath. This message took a fair bit longer to write out, something that was apparently bothering all of the riders as they started talking amongst themselves.

"_You didn't kill anyone," _Leitand wrote, igniting his fire again so that they could read. _"I did. Wasn't told not to."_

"You shouldn't have to be told!" came the reply. "You don't kill sentient creatures! That's not okay! Not in the slightest!"

_This is going to be a long night, _he thought with a silent growl.

**(-)**

A million thoughts were racing through his head, a million images following them. He'd watched someone die. He'd watched dozens die, all in the span of 20 minutes, maybe less. He still had some of their blood on his clothes. Even when Berk had been at war with the dragons, he'd _never _seen that scale of savagery and bloodlust. Never seen that much blood, heard that many screams.

_Of course thinking back, _he thought as he waited for Pretty Boy to finish his writing. _Their goal was never to kill us. It was always to get food. _Sure they'd lost people, they were Vikings. It was an occupational hazard, one that always hit them hard. But there was never that much violence.

Not to mention that he himself had ordered the deaths of the Hunters attacking the Twins and Fishlegs.

_I didn't know he would do that, _he tried to tell himself. For a while, he almost believed it. But deep down, deep inside there was a voice in his head telling him that he knew _very _well what was going to happen. He knew as soon as he whistled to get the Night Fury's attention. He knew when he pointed to the hunters. He _knew_.

And that made him a monster. Maybe a bigger one than Pretty Boy himself.

_Monster, _he thought to himself, snorting disdainfully. _Listen to me. He's not a monster, and I'm not a monster._

He felt like one though.

"Hiccup," Astrid said, drawing him from his thoughts. "What did he say?"

Hiccup swallowed thickly, shaking his head to clear it. "That it was an ambush," he snorted. "And that we didn't tell him not to kill anyone."

The other teen sighed quietly, looking at him sadly. "Well," she said softly. "We didn't. Not really."

"So maybe we didn't!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air and turning to face her. "That doesn't make it right! We shouldn't have had to tell him!"

"Calm down," she murmured, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I know it doesn't make it right. I'm not saying that it is. But just _look _at him. Really look at him. We both know that he's been in fights, we both know that he's killed people before. Maybe he didn't know any better, maybe he was forced to in the beginning and no one told him not to. We don't _know_, Hiccup."

He took a deep breath, trying to control the raging turmoil inside of him. "So what then?" he asked, a little spitefully. "Should I just let this go? Let bygones be bygones? I can't do that Astrid. He just _killed _I don't know how many men! Sure, maybe he didn't know better before. But if that's the case, he needs to know _now_. I can't just let this go, Astrid. I can't."

"I know," she said soothingly, still resting her hand on his shoulder. "I just want to make sure that you don't end up doing something that you regret."

_I already have, _he thought, glancing down at his prosthetic limb. "That's not the worst of it," he said quietly.

She shifted on her legs. "What do you mean?" she asked, a small tint of worry in her voice.

He raised his head to meet her gaze. "We just killed some of his Hunters," he said quietly. She opened her mouth to object, but he stopped her by raising a hand. "Yes, I know it was Pretty Boy. Viggo won't see it like that. Before, we always just knocked out and met him without the intent to kill. He's returned that. Today, he just saw us, or at least who he _thinks _is us, kill I don't know how many of his men. He's not going to be so cautious about killing us now. To him, this could be seen as an act of war… it probably is. He will retaliate in kind. The next time we see him… I would put a lot on him being much more violent."

She was quiet for a moment as she took in his words. Before she could responds, he heard a soft grunt followed by the surrounding area being illuminated with a purple glow. Hiccup turned back towards where he was conversing with the Night Fury… something that earlier had him feeling so ecstatic but now left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. _Murderer._

"_I found their main base," _he'd written. _In English of all things. _It was hard enough to find out that a dragon could learn to read and write in any human language, let alone that one. It made him wonder if maybe the reason they'd not really seen any Night Furies beyond the two around him was because they were spread out among the whole world. Obviously Pretty Boy had had _someone _to teach him… clearly a human. And yet, he hadn't hesitated to slaughter them.

"_In the small island," _it continued. _"Hidden cavern. Snuck in, listened in. Heard a conversation, English conversation. Man, Viggo? Was talking to another. Not know name. Spoke of Singetails, other plans, mentioned a superior. More at work than Viggo. Recognized other voice, unnamed voice. Came across him around ten years ago, when started capturing dragons. They say you all get captured, saw explosion and was prepared for us. My fault. I got you into danger, I got you out of danger. Felt necessary to use force."_

Hiccup blinked, once more surprised as the information loving part of his brain kicked in for a moment. "I knew you could write," he mused aloud, forgetting for the briefest moment that he wasn't happy with this dragon. "I didn't know you could write that well. Didn't even misspell anything." He shook his head. "All the same, was it seriously necessary to _kill _them? You do realize that now _they _won't just be seeking to capture us. Now they will also be trying to kill us. Do you realize the danger you've put us in? Before we might have been captured, sure, but we could have escaped! Now… that won't be an option now. It won't be nets and bolos, it will be ballistae and trebuchets. It will be swords and axes, not clubs. An eye for an eye and the world goes blind."

He felt… strange, talking to such a dragon like this. That feeling only intensified when Pretty Boy's eyes widened slightly. _Of course he didn't think about that, _he thought to himself, with more than a little despair. The purple glow faded and the dragon erased his paragraph to write again. _Dang it._

Knowing that he still had his riders left in the dark, he turned to face them to explain what was just spoken about. "He says that he found their main base," he told them in Norse, immediately drawing everyone's attention. "It was in a hidden cavern apparently. He snuck in and wound up eavesdropping on Viggo and some other guy… who were apparently speaking English."

"That makes sense actually," Fishlegs spoke up, making them look towards him. "Not a lot of people understand English in the archipelago. If you want a conversation to remain secret, it makes sense to speak in a language only you and the other knew."

"Right," Hiccup agreed, appreciating the logic. "He apparently recognized the voice of the person Viggo was talking to. He says he came across him 10 years ago, when the Hunters first started capturing dragons instead of just killing them. He doesn't know his name… but apparently he has superiors that we haven't seen yet." Hiccup sighed, placing his head in his palm. "Which means that there's another player on the board… one that seems to be powerful, if his subordinates are working with Viggo as equals. He also mentioned that there was some plan with Singetails, though he didn't get much information on it."

"So, what," Snotlout spoke up, leaning forward with his arms crossed. "They're making an army of Singetails? Since when have the Hunters rode dragons?"

_That's a good point actually, _Hiccup thought, glancing at the dark shape of Pretty Boy, who was still writing. "I'm not sure," he confessed, shoulders sagging. "But if what he says is true, which I think it is, we could be in a lot of trouble. Just _one _Singetail is a problem. If we add more to the mix…"

They fell silent for a moment, each of them absorbing the information they were told. "We need to tell your father," Astrid said, speaking up. "The sooner the better. If we really are going to be against an army of Singetails… I don't think that we'll be able to beat them on our own. We'll need help, maybe train some more riders."

Hiccup blinked in surprise, eyes widening. "You're making it sound like we're going to war," he said, voice raising slightly.

Astrid looked at him, deathly serious. "If there is an _army _of Singetails," she said, putting emphasis on army. "We will be."

He opened his mouth to reply, to deny what she was saying, to offer another solution. Then he closed it when nothing came to mind. With a sigh, rubbed his eyes again, suddenly feeling horribly tired. "There has to be another way," he said.

She stepped forward to place a hand on his shoulder once again. "There might not be," she said quietly.

"Are we sure that it _is _an army?" Fishlegs asked, scratching his jaw nervously.

Hiccup turned to Pretty Boy, who was still writing. "What exactly did you hear about the Singetails?" he asked in English.

If the situation hadn't been so dire and he hadn't been so numb, he might have laughed at the incredibly human sigh that came from the large dragon as he paused in his large paragraph to write out his response. Then he illuminated the section briefly to let Hiccup read before turning back to his first message.

"_They said they will be ready in less than four months," _he'd written. _"That's all."_

"He says that they said they'd be ready in less than four months with the Singetails," he said in Norse, turning back to Fishlegs. "That's it. It sounds to me like they're planning to attack some place shortly after that. Where would they attack though?"

There was more silence, before Astrid snapped her fingers. "Berk!" she exclaimed. "If they really are making an army of Singetails, each with their own riders, then they must be trying to use them to conquer other places. Now, to do that, they would have to know about the threats in each of the tribes. Berk is the only one that has dragons living with them… which means that we would be the biggest threat. They would want to take us out first!"

Another moment of silence occurred… and then they all started talking at once. That continued until Pretty Boy suddenly barked at them, shutting them up as he bathed area in a purple glow again to let Hiccup read his latest message.

"_Can't be an eye for an eye if your opponent is dead," _was the first thing that Hiccup read, making groan loudly and rub his temples. He was starting to feel a headache coming on. _"I didn't think about those repercussions. For that, I apologize. I won't apologize for killing them, I did that to protect you, my sister, your riders and my fellow dragons. I do apologize for not giving it the full amount of thought it deserved. I was a little pressed for time. However, they did come at me with bows, axes and swords before I even started to kill them in their base. Then they had controlled dragons attack me, like Snot's dragon and other dragons. Angry tea pots as well. Then they fired at me with ballistae. So as you can see, they were already using lethals against me. Regardless, my sister's safety is my priority, shortly followed by her happiness. So, you can trust me to ensure none of you get killed. She's lost one family already, I won't let her lose another."_

Hiccup fell silent as he absorbed this new information, staring at the message. Astrid stepped behind him to look over his shoulder, hand once again finding its place on his shoulder. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"He says that it can't be eye for an eye if your opponent is dead," he started, making her snort in amusement. He could feel her head nod in agreement, though she didn't voice it, much to his relief. "The he apologized for not thinking about possible repercussions when started killing them. He makes it clear that he wasn't apologizing for killing them, he did that to protect us. Just for not giving it the thought it deserved, with the excuse that he was pressed for time. Apparently they came at him with swords and axes first, before he started killing them in their base, which… which then led to 'controlled dragons' attacking him, such as Nightmares, others and… angry tea pots? Angry tea pots… Scauldrons? Then they fired at him with ballistae, actual bolts not nets and bolos. So, he says that they used lethal on him already."

Here he paused to sigh deeply, turning to glance at Stormfly, bathed in the purple glow of her brother's fire. "He finishes by saying his sister's safety and happiness is his main priority," he said softly. "Which means that he'll keep us safe. He says she already lost one family, he won't let her lose another."

"Oh," Astrid said, after she'd taken a moment to absorb that information. Then she turned and walked towards the Nadder, who she quickly embraced, much to the dragon's surprise and apparent happiness, if her cheerful squawk was anything to go by. "I'm so sorry, poor girl."

Hiccup took another deep breath, staring up into Pretty Boy's silver eyes, a burning determination in them. "I don't approve of killing," he started, making the dragon roll his eyes in another _very _human gesture. Much like Toothless, actually. "But you know that. Normally I would continue this, but there are more pressing things. From what you've told us… it sounds like the Hunters are starting to build an army of their own riders to attack, among other places, Berk. Which means… that they wouldn't have continued with trying to capture us forever. We don't know for sure but… we need to get to Berk, we need to tell them of at least the possibility so that we can prepare. I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to forget what happened here today… but that's for another day."

Pretty Boy nodded his head to show that he understood, and for a brief second, Hiccup could have sworn he saw guilt in those expressive orbs, so similar to Toothless' own.

"I'm leaving for Berk in the morning," Hiccup said, turning to the riders. "You guys stay here, start searching some of the islands to see if you can't find evidence of the Singetail army. I want to know what we're officially up against."

"Can we take the Death Fury?" Tuffnut asked, moving closer to them.

_Death Fury huh, _he thought. "No," he said aloud. "He'll be coming with me. I'm sure my dad will want to speak to him, and he knows the most about what's going on." He turned to Pretty Boy, who was staring at them intently. "You're coming with me tomorrow when I go to Berk, alright?"

The dragon sighed again, glancing at Stormfly for a moment, before nodding his great head. Hiccup felt himself relax slightly. He didn't know what he'd have done if he'd refused.

"Great," he said aloud, still speaking English. "We leave tomorrow at dawn."

**(-)**

"Leitand-friend," he heard a familiar voice say, echoing throughout his mind. "Leitand-friend, you need to wake up. We are leaving."

_Now why does that voice sound so familiar, _he mused to himself. It tickled parts of his brain that he'd thought forgotten. Then it clicked, and he realized he was just a tired idiot and opened his eyes.

"Awake," he mumbled, extricating himself from around Sonvari, who chirped her displeasure in her sleep. Gingerly stepping around her, he padded out of her hut, dipping his head to her rider, who'd woken up and was watching him leave. The human waved at him before turning over onto her side to sleep a bit longer. He didn't blame her, it'd been a long night.

Once outside, he marveled in the sensation of the cool air, moisture forming along his heated scales. That was something that he'd always loved, and something that he felt he always would. Sivast had glided back to the platform after waking him, and was standing crouched while Hiccup tightened some straps and made other adjustments that he didn't care to understand. Stretching his forepaws out in front of him, he arched his back downwards, groaning slightly as he felt his bones pop. Then he cracked his neck and glided down to join the duo on the platform.

"Good morning, Sivast-friend," he greeted, taking a quick moment to groom himself clean after his scale-dirtying nap.

"Good morning," Sivast warbled back, shaking his head to clear whatever fog remained. "Long flight today."

Leitand shrugged, nipping at the base of his wing. "For hatchling," he agreed. Sivast snorted in amusement as Hiccup hopped into his saddle, locking himself into place. At the rider's command, the two lifted up into the sky, making a beeline back towards Berk side by side.

"What is a long flight for you?" the smaller night-scale asked curiously, as Hiccup pulled out a little booklet and started to write in it.

He hummed thoughtfully, frills twitching. "Longest flight?" he asked. "Or maybe long flight?"

"Longest," came the reply, the green eyed dragon seemingly curious.

A gentle purr arose from inside Leitand as he remembered his trip across the ocean years ago. "Flew west," he started, humming. "Five sun-cycles, no land. Blue-sea water, many sun-cycles in all directions. Slept on wings, flew high, glide while sleep. Pressure wake me up, fly high again. Found large-land, new-land. Two season-cycles spent there, just seeing. No kin, but much prey… some humans. Different from Berk-nest, or kin-hunters. More… not know word. No swords, no axe. No earth-metal. Skin-nests. Not many of them, but some there. Beautiful, peaceful land."

Sivast seemed very interested to hear this, turning to look at him with wide eyes. "I did not know there was another land mass that way," he observed, a strange light in his eyes. "You traveled very far."

Leitand hummed, nodding his agreement. "Earth-mother big," he stated. "Much to see, much to seek. Know there large land to east, large land to west, small lands here. Seen those, know more there. Want see all before die, not live for long. Makes busy."

"But night-scale-kin live for a long time," Sivast warbled, sounding more than a little confused. "I do not know how long, but many, many season-cycles. Dam told me that the oldest night-scale she knew saw more than three-hundred season-cycles."

_Wow, _Leitand thought, shocked by that number. _That's a long time. Three-hundred years?! Yikes._ He shook his head and ran his tongue along his gums. "I not live that long," he mused aloud, drawing a whine from Sivast. "Not choice, just… am Danger Seeker. Many conflict-scars, many fights, many kills. Only lose one, I die."

They were silent for a moment, his companion not knowing what to say to that. Then he hummed, rolling his head. "Maybe you will not lose," he said finally, glancing at the larger night-scale. "Not alone now, no need for you to be alone again. Other kin will help, _I _will help. Hiccup-life-friend will help too, I know it."

Leitand glanced at him for a moment, thinking to himself. "Alone sooner than think," he replied. "Hiccup-friend not like violence, not like I kill kin-hunters. If told leave, I leave… for while. Not leaving Sonvari-dearest-sister again, so I be around… but not around. Humans not live for long too. Maybe sixty season-cycles, maybe more. Not more than ninety. Here… less. Forty. Is dangerous, is hard life. Hard life is short life, mostly."

Sivast apparently didn't know that bit of information, and looked distinctly worried. "How do you know that?" he asked, glancing back at Hiccup, who was still lost in his little book.

Leitand shrugged, humming. "Seen much," he replied. "Know much. More than can say, more than time for. Can tell why sky color, why night-sparks bright, why sun bright. More."

Sivast snorted in amusement. "Why are the night-sparks bright?" he asked, somewhat serious.

"Night-sparks bright like sun," he informed him, smiling internally. "Sun _is _night-spark. Closer only, much closer. Not see night-sparks during sun because light too bright. Far away, could fly around Earth-mother thousand and thousand times, still not close to night-sparks. Sun like our fire, burning breath many season-cycles flight away. Not can fly anyway, not breathe if too high."

Evidently, he wasn't expecting an answer like that. Not knowing what to say, he instead just kept quiet and digested all of the knowledge he'd just learned… knowledge that wouldn't help him in any way whatsoever. _That _had Leitand more than a little amused.

"Moon is a night-spark too?" Sivast asked, after they'd flown for a long time.

Leitand shook his head. "No," he replied, making the other male glance at him in surprise. "Moon is stone, big stone. Bright because reflect sun light. Earth-mother shadow makes moon size change."

"Oh," came the intelligent response. "So… why is the sky blue?"

'_Cause God loves the Infantry, _he thought to himself with a laugh. "Water," he answered aloud. "Small water in air. Water color blue. Breath fog when cold? Water in breath freeze. Dry-scales in cold-season, no water in air. All froze."

"Oh," he said once again. Leitand resisted the urge to laugh at the absolutely confused expression on his companion's face.

The rest of the long flight passed in relative silence, with bits of conversation here and there. Sivast didn't ask any other questions about why things are the way they are. It seemed that he'd reached his limit for learning, not that Leitand blamed him in the slightest. It was… challenging, figuring out how to phrase things so that he correctly explained what was going on whilst also making sense. He really did not like his ineptitude with their language sometimes.

It was just around noon when they reached Berk, the trip having gone a lot faster now that it was only two Night Furies making it. They didn't have to slow down for the slower dragons, and neither of them were over loaded with supplies. That made Leitand more than a little happy, though Hiccup was very clearly nervous, and only grew more so the closer they got to their destination.

A loud call came up from the village when someone spotted them, and a few dragons were flying about. One in particular that drew his attention, was the green flame-scale Raemur. It was… surprisingly nice seeing someone that he recognized right off the bat, at least someone that wasn't related to him or one of the riders' dragons. The dragon in question spotted them and made to fly next to them.

"Sivast-night-scale!" he greeted, sounding a little surprised to see them. "You back?"

"Raemur-flame-scale," Sivast greeted in return, already looking tired from talking to the excitable dragon. "I am, but only for an important reason. Leave us be, we would rather keep this private."

The young flame-scale looked slightly dejected, but bobbed his head in understanding with a clack of his teeth. He glanced at Leitand, his eyes brightening for a moment, before he remembered that he was asked to leave them alone. So he just dipped his head and wheeled away, moving to join a few other dragons.

"Excitable," Leitand observed. Sivast grunted in agreement, following Hiccup's directions to land in front of the chief's house. With a mental shrug, he followed, landing next to Sivast as Hiccup hopped off and started shouting for the chief. Leitand took the opportunity to give himself a more thorough grooming, much to the amusement of Sivast.

"You clean too," he ordered the smaller male, drawing a warbling laugh from him. "If not, I clean."

Knowing that it was a losing argument, Sivast did as he was told, cleaning his scales to satisfy the other. They didn't have to wait for too long before Hiccup returned with the Chief, Spitelout and Gobber close behind him. Leitand wasn't sure what they were told, but each of them sported a concerned look.

The Chief, Stoick if he remembered correctly, came to a halt right in front of him. "You understand English?" he asked in a surprisingly miniscule accent. Obviously he was taught well. Leitand nodded, gesturing with his head for them to follow him as he padded behind the chief's house to block them from prying eyes.

Once there, he immediately set about writing in the dirt. _"Yes," _he wrote, stepping aside to let the humans read it. Well, to let Stoick read it. He didn't know that the other two could even read, let alone read English.

"By Thor," the large man breathed, glancing between the short message and the dragon that wrote it. _Here we go again, _Leitand thought.

He was pleasantly surprised, however, when the chief shrugged off his surprise and instead continued asking the important question. "Alright son," he said, still speaking English for Leitand's benefit apparently. "Now tell me what's going on. What happened? Why are you back so soon? Not that you're not welcome of course, just… I wasn't expecting you to be back for some time yet."

Hiccup sighed, running a hand through his hair as he leaned back against Sivast, who'd laid down on his side to observe the conversation. "Yesterday," he began, glancing at Leitand before returning to his father. "We went out on a patrol to try and find out where Viggo's base was. We knew he was somewhere in the area, but we didn't know for sure. It was during the pre-flight meeting when we were going over the plan that we learned that not only could Pretty Boy read the maps from the Dragon Eye, he could understand and write English. He also marked what islands were dangerous on the map, as well as what islands were safe. He's been to a lot of places it seems."

Stoick turned to Leitand with an approving nod. "Good lad," he said. Then he frowned. "Er, dragon. Er… Night Fury. Continue on, son."

Hiccup nodded. "When we reached the three islands," he continued, standing upright with another glance at Leitand. "We split up. I went with Astrid and Snotlout to one island, the twins and Fishlegs went to another and Pretty Boy went to the third alone. It was the smallest, and he could communicate with us, so it made the most sense to have him search it by himself. Well… he found it. It was in a hidden cavern, out of sight from the air and hard to see from ship. When he found it, he decided to infiltrate it for… actually, he never explained that. I, uh… I forgot to ask."

Leitand was already busy writing the answer in the dirt before he'd even finished talking. Hiccup dutifully paused his explanation while Stoick took the opportunity to translate for his advisors. Finally, Leitand had finished and stepped back.

"_Information," _he wrote. _"I was the best choice for it, if I don't want to be seen, I won't be. No reason to put others at risk."_

"Aye," Stoick agreed, nodding his head and stroking his beard. "It's always good to have some back-up, but in a pinch… well, I appreciate you not endangering my son. Continue."

"Right," the younger human said, rubbing his shoulder. "While he was there, he heard Viggo having a conversation with someone, speaking English to keep the conversation private. Or, at least, so they thought. Pretty Boy said that he recognized the voice of the other man from ten years ago, when the Dragon Hunters started to capture dragons instead of killing them all. He didn't know a name though. Anyway, he heard them talking about a plan… a plan involving Singetails of all things. He didn't get much, but whatever is being planned with them will be ready within four months time. We… we believe that whoever this mystery guy is, he's building an army of dragons."

"Wait," Stoick said, holding up his hand with a much more serious look in his eyes than he'd had before. "Did you say… and army of _dragons_?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah," he replied.

Stoick cursed, spat and immediately turned towards Spitelout and Gobber where he began to talk rapidly, much to fast for Leitand to recognize any words and leaving him to sigh in mild annoyance. He did, however, hear the name Drago being repeated multiple times. As the chief spoke, the other two started to look more and more concerned, before their gazes hardened.

Hiccup joined in on the foreign conversation, leaving Leitand to be bored by himself. To pass the time, he started to do something that he hadn't done in a while… as in ever. He tried to draw, using his claw to gouge the dirt.

While he wasn't immediately sure what to draw, he decided in the end that he'd try to draw a boat. That was a simple enough task, so he added another. And another. And another. Still they continued their discussion. Soon he had twelve little boats drawn, and had acquired Sivast's attention.

"What are you doing?" he asked, sidling up to him to glance down at the drawings.

"Not know word," he replied, adding ballistae to the prows of the ships. "Waiting."

Sivast hummed curiously, staring at the ships. "They look like human ships," he observed.

"They are," Leitand warbled back, trying his best to add a family of bright-scales, five in total. It was hard to do without having dexterous human hands, but he felt he'd made a passable effort. Then he added a night-scale, diving down at the ships.

"Pretty Boy," he heard the chieftain say, drawing his attention from his little doodle and leaving Sivast to study it himself. "Do you agree with my son's statement? Is this strange man trying to form a dragon army?"

Leitand met the chieftains stoic eyes with his own, and nodded. Then he scratched his response into the dirt, all of the humans leaning down to watch him work.

"_Without a doubt," _he informed them. _"I fought dragons that were with these hunters during my escape. They were mindless, obedient drones to serve only one purpose. Fight."_

"I was afraid of that," Stoick murmured, turning towards Hiccup. "Continue with the story."

Hiccup nodded, glancing at Sivast before returning to look at his father. "After Pretty Boy heard that," he continued, glancing at the dragon in question. "He learned that we were about to be ambushed. I don't know all of the details, but I know they came after him with swords, axes, bows, ballistae and other dragons. He fought through them and sent up the emergency signal to flee, then came to my island to make sure we got away. He… we had been surrounded by a lot of Hunters, and we were being overrun with our dragons chained down. Just before I was about to order our surrender, he dove out of the sky and… and fought back the Hunters while Snotlout, Astrid and I freed our dragons. Then we did the same thing for the twins and Fishlegs at the other island. Then we escaped."

Stoick stared at his son for a hard minute, before turning to face Leitand, a sharp glint in his eyes. "You killed them, didn't you?" he asked, something in his voice that Leitand couldn't identify. He nodded his head, meeting the chieftains gaze evenly. Stoick ground his teeth together for a moment, seemingly struggling with something before sighing and bringing his hand up to cover his eyes and rub them. "How many?"

"I don't know," Hiccup told him, while Leitand started to write his response in the dirt. Then he let out a sharp bark, drawing their attention while he tapped the ground to point out his message.

"_62 humans," _he wrote. _"7 dragons."_

Stoick nodded to himself, seemingly relieved that he knew the answer. Hiccup, however, seemed completely stupefied that he'd remembered. "How do you remember that?" he asked, a haunted tone in his voice.

"Son," the chieftain replied, answering for Leitand. "Every single warrior who is not a bloodthirsty murderer knows the exact number of men he's killed. I bet Pretty Boy here could tell you the exact number of men and dragons that he's killed throughout his entire life. Taking a life, a sentient life… it eats at you. It's not something done lightly. The only exception to that are men you unknowingly kill, or men that you kill from a trebuchet. You don't always know how many you kill, but those you kill directly… you remember."

Hiccup swallowed loudly, staring at Leitand. "How… how many?" Hiccup asked. Leitand hesitated for a moment, and then shook his head. The teen stepped forward and shook his own head. "No, I want… no, I _need _to know. How many have you killed?"

Leitand felt torn. On one paw, he knew some of the reasons why Hiccup wanted to know. On the other… he knew that he wouldn't be able to un-tell him. His mental struggle was ended when he felt a strong, large hand land on his shoulder. He glanced over to look the chief in the eye.

"Tell him," he said simply. Leitand sighed, and slowly erased the previous message to write the next. Then he stepped back and gauged their reactions.

"_416 humans, 7 dragons," _he informed them.

Stoick saw the number and only looked surprised for the briefest of moments, before he nodded and turned his attention to look at his son. Hiccup… Hiccup froze upon seeing it, turning pale and looking like he was scarcely breathing. Then he nodded and walked over to Sivast, hopping in the saddle and taking off. Leitand made no move to follow.

"How many innocent?" Stoick asked as they watched the duo fly away, knowing he needed time to think.

Leitand didn't even glance down as he drew a zero into the dirt. Stoick glanced at the number and grunted. "Good," he said. Then he breathed deeply and let it out slowly, speaking quickly to his advisors. They said something back and then rushed off to carry out whatever orders they were given. "I won't lie to you, Pretty Boy… what is your real name?"

He glanced down at the dirt, erasing what was written to write his response. _"My name means Seeker," _he told the chieftain. _"No written language for dragons, so I can't tell you exactly."_

"Leitand then," Stoick said, raising his head to look at him. "I won't lie to you, Leitand. This is going to be hard on Hiccup. He… he was never the most Vikingly Viking around. He wasn't a fighter, certainly wasn't a killer. He was a thinker, a tinkerer. Thor knows he made enough inventions to drive half the village mad. When he met that dragon, no one believed him when he said he shot it down. Since then… he's been trying to be peaceful, and have us be peaceful. It wasn't easy, but we managed it… after he lost his leg to that monster of a dragon when he and Toothless killed it. He's given a lot to give us peace, to end the bloodshed. It'll be hard on him, having seen it up close with that many men."

Leitand hummed his agreement, scratching out his response in the dirt. The chieftain waited patiently, just watching him write and occasionally glancing out over the village or up after Hiccup.

"_I know it's not going to be easy on him," _he wrote. _"If I could, I would have never killed in front of him. He never struck me as the type to enjoy that. The circumstances were rather extreme, however. The dragons would have been captured, tortured and enslaved, a fate worse than death in my opinion. Hiccup and the riders… they would have been captured, with the same results possible for them. I don't approve of torture or enslavement, of any species. If I was put in the same situation again, with ten times the number, I would have done the exact same."_

Stoick stared at him after reading, looking thoughtful. "What if it was against an armada of ships," he asked, a knowing glint in his eye.

Leitand snorted in mild amusement. _"It wouldn't be the first time I went against an armada," _he replied.

The large chieftain nodded, glancing out over the village once more. "I thought not," he stated. "Our primary trader, a man named Johann, came here once about fifteen years ago with the story of a Night Fury taking on a fleet of Dragon Hunter ships. It was some days sailing southeast of here, I don't remember all the details. He had taken a different route from the mainland to the Archipelago and stumbled across it, quite by accident. Said that it was terrifying… particularly when the Night Fury glowed blue."

Leitand blinked in surprise, staring at him for a moment before lowering his head to write out his response. _"I didn't know that I glowed," _he informed him, chuffing for added effect.

"So it was you," Stoick said. Not asked, spoken like a statement of fact as he gazed over the village. Leitand nodded. "Well, I should tell you then that you're the reason we have anything at all in our Book of Dragons for the Night Fury. 'The Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death itself. Never engage this dragon, you're only chance is to hide and pray that it doesn't find you.' Admittedly we already had the 'Unholy offspring' bit, but the rest… well, we added that in after that tale. We didn't believe him of course, not until some apparent survivors of the attack confirmed it. They called you the Death Fury."

He snorted in amusement. _"A bit dramatic for my taste," _he replied. Stoick chuckled, nodding his head in agreement.

"Aye," he said. "I agree. But it's not up to us what the men call us. Stoick the Vast is what I'm known as. Admittedly my kill count for humans is much smaller than yours and dragons much higher but… well, we were at war."

Leitand snorted, rubbing out his last message before writing again. _"You did and do what you have to, to keep your people alive," _he wrote. _"I don't hold that against you."_

"Aye," the large man replied. "What made you attack that fleet?"

He hesitated for only a moment before replying. _"They killed my family in front of me," _he said. _"Astrid's Stormfly, she's my sister. I was adopted."_

"I see," he mused, stroking his beard. "It's remarkable how human you sound. If I wasn't standing right next to you, I'd have thought you _were _a human."

Leitand let out a warbling laugh as he replied. _"I speak worse than a toddler though," _he replied.

Stoick laughed loudly, clapping a large hand on his shoulder. "That you do," he agreed, still chuckling. "That you do."

**(-)**

Hiccup glanced out over the ocean as they flew back towards Berk. He hadn't expected to react that strongly to whatever number he would be told, but… he also hadn't expect that number to be so high.

"416," he said aloud, laying back in his saddle. "416. Toothless… is that a lot to you?"

His partner glanced over his shoulder to stare at him, green eyes meeting green eyes. The Night Fury let out a small warble, barely audible over the wind before rolling his head and facing forward. Hiccup sighed, nodding his head.

"Yeah," he said. "I suppose that would be a lot for anyone. Do… do you know what would have made him kill so many? I know we don't know him but… I can't believe that he would just murder innocents. There must have been a reason… right?"

Toothless crooned softly, glancing back at him again with his expressive eyes. Then he nodded, and Hiccup let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding.

"He had… reason yesterday," he said, sitting back in the saddle. "Not good reason, but no reason is a good reason. He did what he thought was right. He also didn't attack us… defended us from both the hunters on the ground and then while we were in the air, putting himself between us and their bows. He didn't stay behind to continue killing, he left when I told him we were off the ground. If his… number, is that high… he would have had a good reason."

Toothless barked out his agreement, making Hiccup relax a bit further. His thoughts trailed back to the day before, something that they'd been doing all day. "I'm no better," he said quietly. "I basically killed some of them myself by pointing Pretty Boy in their direction."

His best friend let out an angry bark and snapped his head over his shoulder to glare at him, making him start in surprise. For a wild second, he thought that Toothless was mad at him for being responsible for the deaths of those hunters. Then his logical side caught up to him and he realized that he must be mad at him blaming himself.

"But it's true bud," he replied, leaning his head back as a tear escaped the corner of his eye. "I saw what he did when he came to help us. I saw him kill those men. I ordered him after the ones attacking the twins and Fishlegs anyway. I didn't even hesitate, just a whistle and a point… it might not have been my claws that did it, but it might as well have been."

Toothless barked out another response, his gaze softening as he stared at him. A comforting croon thrummed in his throat. Then, staring into those loving orbs, his resolve cracked and he broke down into a cascade of tears and sobs, leaning forward in his saddle to place his head near Toothless'.

He didn't know how long he cried, and he didn't really care either way. Toothless would rub his nose gently against his head and purr or hum in a comforting way, doing his best to help. And it did, slowly but surely. Eventually, he stopped crying completely and instead rested with his head against Toothless' back, the warm scales anchoring him down to the world.

They flew for a while longer, Hiccup taking comfort in his friend's presence. After some time, he slowly sat up and wiped his eyes clear of any residue. "Alright bud," he said, stroking the Night Fury's neck. "I'm ready to go back. Thank you."

Toothless barked again before returning to the skies in front of him, the duo gently wheeling to the left towards his dad's house. Once they were close enough, Hiccup was surprised to see that neither of them had moved in the entire time that they had gone, both of them watching as they came in for a landing.

Hiccup expertly slid out of the saddle when they were fully on the ground, taking his time with it to continue organizing his thoughts. He took a step forward, and went to take another before Toothless suddenly growled quietly, making him look down instinctively. To his surprise, there was a drawing in the dirt, one of twelve ships and six dragons… though he couldn't be sure what kind they were supposed to be. It was a rather crude drawing after all. The sight of it, however, made him smile gently as he recalled the time when he'd first met Toothless and had almost stepped on his own creation. Looking at it though, he had a feeling that this was Pretty Boy's as opposed to Toothless'.

"Pretty Boy," he said quietly as he stepped around the drawing gently. Before he could continue, his father coughed quietly.

"Leitand, actually," the large chieftain said, nodding his head towards the silver-eyed dragon.

Hiccup paused for a moment, blinking. "Huh," he mused aloud, moving to stand in front of the pair. "I can't believe that I've never asked you if you already had a name. Leitand then?" The large dragon nodded, and Hiccup was surprised to see concern in his eyes. It was… surprisingly easy to see, too. He ignored it for now. "I have to ask… did you have a good reason for killing that many?"

A flash of pain went through those silver orbs, though he didn't get an immediate response. Instead, he stood up and nodded his head towards the drawing in the dirt as he made his way towards it. Hiccup shot a confused look at his dad, who just nodded in the direction of Leitand for him to follow.

When he stood opposite of the large dragon, he glanced down at the doodle to really look at it. There were twelve ships, and the six dragons that he saw before… but now, as he looked closer, he saw that each of the ships had what looked to be crudely drawn ballistae… and one of the dragons was definitely different from the other five, as well as it being the only one diving towards them.

Leitand extended a claw to tap the ships, and then brought it over to where the five dragons were flying together. There, he proceeded to cross them out… all except one. Almost immediately Hiccup understood.

"You mentioned that Stormfly had already lost one family," he said quietly. "This was how, isn't it?"

Leitand crooned sadly, nodding his head. Then, after a moments hesitation, he tapped what Hiccup now knew to be a Night Fury, before moving to cross out the ships. Only two remained when he was finished.

"I've already spoken with him," Stoick said, coming to stand next to his son and placing a large hand on his small shoulder. "You might not remember, but there was a story years ago about one Night Fury fighting an armada of Dragon Hunter ships."

Hiccup raised his gaze to stare at Leitand, emotions roiling in his gut. "That was you?" he asked. The Night Fury nodded his head. After another moments hesitation, he scratched some words into the dirt above it.

"_15 years ago," _he wrote. _"I killed 302 men. They were the crewmen of most of these ships. When they started to flee, I let them go. They didn't start running until only two were left."_

Hiccup swallowed thickly. "So if those men yesterday had fled," he started, staring up at Leitand. "You wouldn't have killed them?"

There wasn't a moments hesitation before he was shaking his great head 'no'. Hiccup took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he nodded.

"You've never killed someone who surrendered or was unarmed?" he asked.

Once again, he shook his head no.

"Would you?"

There was a moment of silence as Leitand thought about what was being asked. Then he sighed and erased his previous message to write some more.

"_I don't know," _came his honest reply.

Hiccup thought for a long moment about what to say next. Finally, he huffed and rubbed his forehead. "Can you promise me something?" he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "Can you promise me that you won't immediately go for the kill? Try and, I don't know, knock them out?"

Leitand hesitated, even longer with this question. Eventually he growled quietly and erased his message.

"_I can't change what or who I am," _his message read. _"I will not meet force with any lesser force. I can promise you that if they aren't trying to kill you, your riders, the dragons or me, I won't try to kill them. But, if they come at you with intent to harm, maim or kill, I will do likewise. My sister and her new family will always be more important to me than the human or dragon trying to kill them."_

* * *

**Alright, a few things to talk about.**

**First and foremost, a reviewer wondered if Leitand would get any legendary nickname. While I'm not going to spoil anything in the future, I decided that I would give him a legendary title, of sorts. Consider it a shout out! No, I don't think that 'Death Fury' will stick around. I think it's a little too dramatic, but felt like it would be entertaining to include. After all, all great warriors have titles! My personal favorite is the White Death. If you don't know who that is, I recommend looking him up. Worlds deadliest sniper in history, or something like that. He earned that title and got a kill count to match Leitand in a few short months.**

**Secondly, the total number of people Leitand has killed so far. No, that number was not random in the slightest. A large portion of that came in chapter 5, the chapter that must not be named (to be fair, none of them are). Viking longboats could have 41 crew members. The ships the Dragon Hunters used are a bit bigger than those, quite a bit bigger actually, and as such will be holding even more men. So yes, he's killed a lot of people and seems to be OP. As a good friend of mine says, Night Furies **_**are **_**inherently OP. Just wait, he's obviously not infallible lmao.**

**Thirdly… this is probably the most important chapter plot wise that I've written in a while. I've left a lot of clues in here as to what's to come, and I'm quite excited to see what people's theories are. Feel free to let me know!**

**It's kind of funny, but I've noticed that I do a **_**lot **_**more research for my writings than I did at any point in time for my school career. Case in point, that explosion in the last chapter. I spent a **_**long **_**time searching the interwebs for anything on high altitude explosions, as that's something I wasn't too familiar with. I eventually did find something, a declassified report on some tests the US and USSR ran in like the '50s on high altitude nuclear detonations. Best I could find, resulted in a larger, but faster, explosion… whose residue lasted for a significantly long time.**

**Another fun fact, I recently did a personality quiz for Leitand, following the 16 personalities thing. Any guesses? Well I'll spoil it for you anyway. Our goofy boy is an ISFJ-A, or the Defender. Unplanned, but something that I could easily see. I also did tests for some other characters but uh… well, you won't see them for quite a while, so I'll not be spoiling that.**

**Wow, I really need to get a beta, if only for the reason that they can tell me when to shut up in an A/N. No matter, I'll stop **_**Teasing **_**you all and move on. **

**I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed the chapter! I'm getting back into the swing of writing these dragons, though again, I might come back and edit some things later due to not having a beta. Regardless, thank you all for reading! And I'll see you with the next chapter! (Due anywhere between tomorrow and 7 months down the line).**

**-Aelan**


	11. Chapter 11

**Greetings and Salutations!**

**Can I just say that we can all take this to mean I am well and truly back and sticking to a schedule? Three chapters in as many weeks. Admittedly I'll probably be rewriting the last two sooner rather than later due to a quality drop, but that will be for when I acquire myself a beta.**

**Currently also out of ideas for a cover image, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to PM me.**

**On with the chapter! Things are going to start speeding up a fair amount, so fair warning.**

* * *

**Chapter: 11**

It was a new experience for Leitand, something that hadn't happened in a long time. In the two weeks since he'd arrived back on the island, Berk had started preparing for a war. The riders from the Edge had returned and left again, though he saw them arriving basically every day with an update for Hiccup and Stoick as to what they'd discovered, or rather, what they _hadn't _discovered.

He didn't remember much about his life before he was a dragon, and to be perfectly frank, he didn't much care. However, he had a strong suspicion that he was a warrior of some sort. Not with bows, arrows, axes and swords, no. He remembered explosions, the shockwave resulting capable of knocking him on his ass, he remembered a harsh smell he knew to be an explosive powder, the report of smaller explosions and an impact against his shoulder. He remembered hearing fast moving objects striking around him, and the fear that brought, the sound they made whizzing over his head. He knew it to be violent, he knew it to be dangerous… and he knew it to be exciting.

He also knew that while the actual combat was probably more dangerous, it was nowhere near as deadly. Or at least, nowhere near as painful. Sure the humans here didn't have bombs that he knew of, so that eliminated a lot of the deadliness of war, but they also didn't have anywhere near as advanced medicines. Getting stabbed could be a death sentence.

So he had to admit that he admired them, or if not, at least respected them. He could see wagons of weapons being transported from place to place, men and older teens were visible practicing fighting stances, sparring or practicing accuracy with bows, knives and even axes. They did all of this knowing that for them, the threat of death was very real.

Or maybe they didn't know it, and were just blissfully ignorant. The younger ones definitely were, you could see it in how excited they were and how aggressive they were as well. They _wanted _a fight, wanted a war, wanted to kill.

In some ways, Leitand found himself wanting the same.

But he also knew the horrors of combat, if not remembering the actual war itself. He'd seen men die, definitely as a dragon and possibly as a human as well. He'd killed men himself, heard their screams, tasted their blood, smelled their fear and pain. Their suffering. Thinking back on the lives he'd taken, he found it odd that he didn't regret a single one of them, nor did they bother him. It made him feel inhuman.

_But then, _he'd think. _I'm not a human, now am I?_

Despite not regretting them, the memories still sent a chill down his spine, making his wings flare and his tail quiver. It was easy for him, too easy. _That _is what bothered him. There was nothing pleasant about seeing a man's bowels fail him as his guts hung from his body. It _should _have bothered him. But it didn't.

He could see in the older Vikings' eyes, the ones that he knew to have seen combat either against dragon or human, the fear, the regret, the worry and the tiredness of it all. But only in their eyes, and only because he somehow knew what to look for. To the untrained eye, such as the younger men or teens, they looked to be as loud and boisterous as ever, if not more so. They looked eager for a fight, satisfied to be holding a weapon again and more than ready to use it. It bolstered their own excitement and willingness to fight, drove them onwards to perform greater and faster.

The Viking that drew his attention the most in regards to the older men was the Viking Chief himself, Stoick. The giant of a man carried himself like he bore a huge weight on his immense shoulders, one that only he alone could bear. While initially it confused Leitand, after all, everyone would be fighting if it came down to it, eventually it clicked in his head as to why.

The Chief was experienced, had seen combat and lived to tell the tale. He _knew _that he would be sending men and women to their deaths. He didn't want to, not in the slightest. But he would anyway. After he made that connection, his respect for the man grew in leaps and bounds.

Leitand was currently perched atop the Great Hall, the building apparently haven been reinforced for that very reason, if not for him in particular. From his vantage point, he could watch the entire village as they went about their business, each person or dragon moving with a purpose to prepare for the possibility of a fight.

Near the Kill Ring, or Training Ring as it was apparently known as now, he could see men and women lined up in rows and sitting atop dragons of all shapes and sizes. From the stone-scales to the flame-scales to everything in between. Standing in front of them, dismounted for the moment, was Hiccup and Sivast. They appeared to be the ones explaining things to the riders, new and old, and would most likely be the ones to train them. Leitand didn't know how much experience the individuals had, be they man or dragon, but he knew that combined… they had none.

His sharp eyes scanned the members of the riders being trained at the moment, remembering them for later so he could check to see their progress. To his surprise, he saw that Raemur was with them, a large man upon his back. The young flame-scale looked to be paying close attention, particularly to Sivast. The sight made Leitand chortle in amusement.

_Apparently he wants to impress, _he mused. It was oddly endearing.

Then he studied the trainers themselves. Sivast looked serious, which wasn't a huge surprise, and Hiccup… Hiccup looked pale. Once again, Leitand felt a surge of regret for unveiling the young man's eyes to the true horrors of the world. He didn't deserve that. He was a good kid, that was something he knew without a doubt. Despite that, he looked confident, both in posture and movement. Every bit the leader he was.

"Night-scale-kin," a shrill voice called to him, jolting him from his thoughts and making him raise his head, frills perked inquisitively. It was… a small-scale? He didn't think he knew the correct name for his species. Small, green and looking like he was ADHD.

"Hello," he greeted as the small dragon landed on his back. That was… interesting. "You need help?"

"No," the little creature replied, curling up and getting comfortable between his wings. "Want talk, not want move. You here, you big, you not move. We talk."

"Oh," Leitand said intelligently, glancing around himself before rolling his head and waving his tail. He settled back down on his stomach, ignoring the slightly uncomfortable sensation of the wooden beam he was resting on. "Not many kin talk to me."

"No," the small-scale chirped, fluttering its wings and tucking its tail underneath its chin. "You scary."

He blinked, frills flattening against his head at the admission. "Why?" he warbled, a little disappointed at the admission.

The creature shrugged, snorting a small breath of flame out of its nostrils. "Stories," it explained. "Kin hear you kill kin, kill human. You big, you many conflict-scars, you night-scale-kin. You scary."

Leitand chuffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes. "Then why you talk with me?" he asked, rustling his wings.

The small dragon uncurled and stood upright, puffing out its chest and flaring its wings with its tail raised. "I brave!" it declared. "You not scare me!" To emphasize its point, the little creature snorted out another jet of flame from its nostrils.

_That _had him laughing, the throaty sound rising from deep in his throat to shake his whole body. The small-scale huffed in annoyance, looking mightily offended as it lowered its chest to his back and growled.

"Peace," Leitand soothed, a cheerful purr vibrating in his chest. "You brave, agree. But if I kin-killer, you stupid too. Why not kill you?"

The dragon shook itself, its entire body moving to and fro with the force of its shake. "You not kin-killer," it scoffed. "Why I talk if you kin-killer? You just kill me if kin-killer. I not dead, you not kin-killer."

_That's a certain stroke of logic I didn't think of, _Leitand thought, amused. "Guess you right," he agreed, appeasing the little dragon. "What your name, brave-small-scale?"

Upon being labeled as brave by the large and scary night-scale, the little dragon puffed itself up even more, looking like it would almost explode with pride. Or, at the very least, explode with air pressure. "Grimma!" it chirped. _She_. She chirped.

"Fierce," Leitand complimented, making the little terror preen.

"You nice," she decided, curling up on his back again. "I like you. What you name?"

"Leitand," he laughed, standing up and flaring his wings on his narrow perch. "I fly now. You stay if you want, but I fast so use claws. Stay or going?"

Grimma squawked, bolting upright and glancing around nervously, her tail flicking behind her. To Leitand's amusement, she then began to shake and quiver. _Like a chihuahua, _he mused. Then he debated on if that was an important thing to recall.

He was fairly certain that the little dragon would decline, which was more or less what he was banking on. To his surprise, her eyes just narrowed and he felt sharp claws digging into the scales on his back as she lowered herself. "I brave," she chattered, tail whipping from side to side. "Not want move. I stay."

_Well then, _he thought, fighting back a snort of amusement. "Going then," he informed her, before immediately taking to the air with the small-scale squawking with surprise and more than a little anxiety.

He confidently pumped his wings, getting up to a decent speed before he was a quarter of the way over Berk. A testament to how fast he could truly be, as he wasn't putting much effort into speed. This was just a leisure flight, one designed to let him be alone without seeming to be overtly rude. Unfortunately, the little dragon was having none of it.

"I kin-rider!" she exclaimed, her tiny claws digging into his back as she scrambled forward to perch atop his head. One of her claws snagged against one of his frills, making him wince slightly at the harsh tugging.

Leitand coughed out a laugh, banking to the side as he reached the edge of the island. "Yes," he agreed, resisting the urge to shake his head. "You kin-rider."

"I going fast!" Grimma observed, more than a little awe in her voice. _Yes, _Leitand mused, gliding over Berk. _You are indeed, going fast. Little shit._ He couldn't bring himself to be truly annoyed though, it was rather adorable to hear her sound so excited. He didn't have the heart to tell her that _she _wasn't doing anything other than standing on his head.

This little cruise of his did allow him some measure of interest, as he could get a closer look at all of the goings on with the village. There were more humans than he'd realized before, though he didn't care enough to count them all. On top of those, there were apparently even more dragons, some of which he had to avoid during his little flight. Some were flying around him, some above him, some below him… enough that he would consider it to be very crowded.

His sharp eyes spotted the Chief and his second, Spitelout, standing in front of the Great Hall and staring out over the bustling village while they spoke. The Chieftain spotted him and waved him over, a grim expression on his face. _There might be a problem then, _he mused, banking towards them.

"Leitand," Stoick said once he had landed, the two large men walking towards them. He dipped his head in response, garnering a squawk of surprise from Grimma… who he'd forgotten was still perched on his head. The little dragon slid off of his head, wings flapping frantically as she tried to right herself before she hit the dirt in a tumbled heap. Leitand and the two humans stared at her curiously, with a mixture of concern and amusement thrown in and a soft croon from the dragon.

After a moment's struggle, she'd righted herself and had turned around to glare up at Leitand, who tilted his head and perked his frills. Then she blew a small jet of fire at him, one that barely reached his nose, and flew away with a huff. Leitand blinked in surprise, unable to resist the urge to laugh with an easy purr filling the surrounding area.

The humans chuckled, with Spitelout saying something that had the Chief laughing a bit harder before they sobered up and looked at him. "Leitand," Stoick said again, drawing his attention. "I have a task for you, if you're willing."

Leitand dipped his head again, sitting back on his haunches and ruffling his wings as he gave his best impression of paying attention to the Chief.

"These Singetails," he started, glancing at Spitelout before returning to stare at the dragon. "We need to know how many we are dealing with. From what I understand, you have a lot of experience with flying solo. I know you've had experience with fighting large groups, and I doubt you're a stranger to an air scuffle with another dragon. Your experience, combined with that fact that you're the only dragon that can communicate effectively with us, makes you the best choice for the job."

The silver-eyed dragon huffed in mild amusement and annoyance, flicking his tail around him as he started to scratch his response into the dirt. _"And what, pray tell, _is _the job?" _he asked. Slightly more wordy than he probably needed to be, but it was always fun to remind someone that they aren't dealing with an idiot.

"Ah," the man replied, looking slightly sheepish as he scratched at his beard. "My bad, forgot to mention that. I want you to scout out the islands in the Great Beyond and try to find out _where_, exactly, they are building this… dragon army. I think it would be foolish to assume they're only making training one kind of dragon, so I need to know what kind, how many and where they all are."

_Oh, _he thought, more than a little surprised. He hadn't thought of that possibility. After a moment of thought, he started to scratch his response out into the dirt. _"I can,"_ he wrote. _"But it might take a while. There are a lot of islands out there, and I can't exactly ask for directions. Bit of a time crunch we're on as well"_

"Aye, we know," Stoick said, gesturing between Spitelout and himself. "It won't be easy and it will be very dangerous. You'd be out there alone, looking for trouble, with no back up. These men are good at what they do, they'd have to be. But, I don't think they will have dealt with a dragon quite like you. If you _did _get captured, out of all the dragons, you'd have the best chances at escaping. You're a Night Fury, they won't risk killing you."

Leitand leaned back on his haunches to stare up at the sky, sifting through his thoughts to try and come up with a plan. _"If that's the case," _he replied, scratching the letters deftly into the dirt. _"It might be faster to just let myself be captured and escape later. They take me to their dragon army, I get to look around, then I escape."_

The Chief started to speak to his seconds in Norse, presumably to translate his suggestion. That soon devolved into a heated debate, leaving Leitand to once again wish that he understood the language. _Damned multilanguage world, _he groused, scuffing the dirt below him with a paw as he waited. Finally, they finished.

"That's risky," Stoick said, glancing between Spitelout and Leitand. "Chances are that they'll keep you under the tightest security they have, and the longer you are there, the harder it'll be to escape. I don't like the idea of sending you into that alone."

Before he had even finished speaking, Leitand was once again writing out his response. _"Alone is safer," _he informed him. _"I doubt there is a cage in existence that I can't escape given enough time. I _know _that I'll be fine. But breaking out of two cages, mine and whoever is with me, is a lot harder. No, alone is better."_

More discussion that he couldn't understand.

"Alright," Stoick said finally, drawing Leitand out of his habitual grooming session. He lowered his paw and looked at the man. "We'll do it your way. When should we send out a search party for you if you don't return?"

"_2 months," _came the semi-instant reply.

"Alright," he acquiesced. "We'll continue training and gather our allies. When do you leave?"

Leitand didn't bother to respond to that, opting to instead dip his head towards the Chief before turning tail and taking off.

**(-)**

It was a surprising relief to be out on his own again. It had been a little over three weeks since he first started interacting with the people of Berk, and it proved to him a few things. One, he _really _disliked constantly being around people and dragons for extended periods of time. At least, he disliked having to interact with them all the time.

Two, he'd missed being on his own. He missed the aspect of being free to move from place to place at his own leisure, the simple satisfaction of comforting solitude, not being responsible for anyone but himself. It made him feel guilty, as he loved his sister and would do anything for her… but it was nice to know that she was safe and cared for, without him. He knew she was alive, he knew she was happy and he knew she was with people who loved her. She didn't need him as much as he'd thought.

He did regret running off without saying goodbye to her though, despite the fact that he knew it couldn't be helped. She was at the Edge, probably patrolling the waters around it or shoring up their defenses. It'd been decided that the Edge would serve as a sort of FOB, or forward operating base. The dragons and Vikings could use it as a perch or port while they ran scouting missions or patrolled the seas surrounding it. From what he knew, it was rapidly being turned into a very defensible position, and would act as the front line of defense if there _did _turn out to be a war.

The first day back out amongst clouds, seas and skies on his own proved to be the most challenging. At first, he'd missed the hustle and bustle of Berk. But then night fell, leaving him to be alone in the comforting darkness. Just him and his old friends, the moon and the stars, their beautiful splendor reflecting off the ocean below. The skies were clear, barring far to the west where he could see the distant flashes of lightning in an inky blackness. His two most favorite things, visible together in the same sky, miles apart.

The calm and beauty of it all brought a sense of peace in him that he hadn't been aware he'd missed. That was when he realized that he'd missed this, and when he realized that he was greatly relieved to be out by himself. He decided that, when he got back from this mission, he'd always make time to be out amongst himself with he stars for a day or two every few weeks.

The second day he spent sleeping, opting to fly during the night for the majority of the mission to gain a better understanding of what he would be up against. When he was ready to be captured, then he would fly during the day. But he couldn't just give himself up, that would only make people suspicious… at least, the intelligent people. That night, he was once again soaring the skies, admittedly not as clear as the night prior.

For four nights he looked for an opportunity to be captured. It had been surprisingly easy to find a Hunter ship, though it was only a small one. Not worth the time and effort to get captured, and he didn't have any confirmation that they were Viggo's hunters, though he was fairly sure that most were.

On the fourth night, however, he stumbled across a golden opportunity. He came across a small encampment of Hunters… with a number of caged dragons. He spent the rest of that night examining the island and its inhabitants, forming a plan for both rescuing these dragons and then getting himself captured. Then he rested during the day, planning to attack the next night.

**(-)**

_I really am a dragon spy, _he thought to himself, still finding that thought amusing. _Or Spec Ops. The first dragon special operations soldier, running covert missions all the time._

He was prowling through the sparse trees and undergrowth, finding himself a little surprised at the base's location, and more than a little impressed at the Hunters. Wile it wasn't a superbly hidden base, it had the benefit of being placed in an easily defensible inlet, with the small island and sparse flora allowing for great and easy visibility. Combine that with the numerous guards he was avoiding, he had to admit that they weren't stupid with their locations.

It wouldn't hold up in the slightest against an all out attack, but then again, it probably wasn't established with that intention in mind. The entire thing was mobile, with cloth huts and tents staked into the dirt and sand, numerous cages staged in an organized fashion and located to allow easy visibility between them. No one would be able to open the cages without _someone _seeing it.

There were also no permanent buildings, made of wood or stone or metal. It was designed to be able to be picked up and moved within a day's notice, probably sooner. There were seventy or so Hunters that he'd counted, and two decently sized transport ships moored out a few dozen feet from shore. He'd counted fifteen cages, thirteen of which were currently occupied. His best guess was that they'd pack up and leave once all of the cages were filled.

They had a roaming guard during the night, with two teams of two walking the perimeter of the temporary base, one of which carried a lit torch. The other didn't have one, presumably to keep their night vision intact and roamed further away from the perimeter. It was a smart decision, one that he would have to be wary of. On the bright side, there was a fair amount of cloud cover and the moon itself was a waning crescent. Enough light for his night vision to work, but not enough for theirs to be able to spot him… provided that the moon was behind clouds. Which, it currently was. He just needed to stay out of the light of the few torches here and there.

_I would have had a few more teams of guards, _he mused as he prowled over a slight rise upon seeing the glow of the torch pass him by. He kept his large bulk close to the ground, arching his back as he crested the small hill to keep his stomach from scraping against the ground.

Moving as quietly as he could, which was pretty damned silent, he approached the first of the cages, one that held a sleeping stone-scale. Then he lowered himself fully to the ground and tucked his limbs in close to his body as the torch wielding guards walked along the waters edge on the opposite side. Once they were past, and far enough away to not hear any small noises he'd make, he rose and quickly moved to the front of the cage to see what was keeping them locked in place.

_Really, _he thought, feeling more than a little disappointed in the Hunters after he'd just finished admiring their set up. Slight as it was. The cage was latched shut with a simple hook. Sighing slightly, he deftly reached up to flick the latch open. To his surprise, it didn't budge. That was when he spotted the key hole.

_So maybe I spoke a little to soon, _he mused, studying the rest of the cage's entrance. That was when he spotted the next flaw, one that he didn't blame the Hunters for. Afterall, a normal human wouldn't have the strength or means to pull the pins out of the hinges quickly or quietly.

But, Leitand wasn't exactly a human.

He snuck his claw under the top pin of the two hinges. Then he flicked his claw up, using his considerable strength to easily pop it out where it landed quietly in the sand with a soft sound. Resisting the urge to chuckle, he quickly repeated the process with the bottom hinge. Then he hesitated for a moment, before shrugging and moving onto the next of the cages to repeat the process. He didn't want to wake the dragons yet, as he knew they would all make a lot of noise when they actually escaped.

He was forced to pause after the sixth cage, as the internal guards had finished the one round. Once they were past him on both sides, and again a safe distance away, he continued with his mission. That was when a wrench was thrown in his plans… one that he hadn't been expecting in the slightest.

A gleaming silver dragon suddenly dropped out of the sky onto the two exterior guards… who were, coincidentally, almost right behind the cages, only twenty feet or so out. Leitand hadn't even noticed them, though he doubted they'd noticed him. However, they _did _notice a large dragon suddenly landing on both of them, the two crying out in surprise and pain before being silenced.

The damage was done though. The other guards immediately sounded an alarm, drawing their weapons and rushing towards where the other two guards had been. The cry was echoed throughout the camp, and soon every single one of the Hunters were out of their tents and huts and were rushing towards the silver dragon, shouting out war cries.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Leitand took the distraction to quickly speed through the rest of the cages containing dragons, the Hunters not seeing his movements in their single minded focus to reach the new dragon that was currently fighting some of their men. His movements, no longer as careful, blended in to the overall chaos that the camp had descended into.

The captured dragons, awoken by the noise, saw what he was doing. A few of them quickly tried to help by slamming against their cage doors, squawks of surprise escaping them as they found themselves powering through the unhinged doors and out into freedom. All of them took the opportunity to run, and soon there wasn't a single caged dragon.

That is, until he heard shouting near him and suddenly found heavy chains being thrown around him. Apparently he was stronger than he'd thought, as their weight didn't bother him in the slightest. However, his goal was to be captured… so he let himself be forced to the ground, roaring out a challenge and struggling, enough to give them a challenge but not enough to totally shrug off all of his chains.

Then he felt a muzzle being placed over him before it was forcefully tightened, locking his jaws closed together with another muted roar. He felt a few stings as they struck him with sticks or spears, though they obviously weren't trying to _really _hurt him. To his surprise, he actually felt himself being dragged through the sand towards one of the cages. He thought he'd have to walk in there, but apparently these men were stronger than he'd thought. Either that, or there were a lot more pulling him than expected.

Either way, he soon found himself dragged into a cage, where the door was quickly shut and the chains that had been used to pull him in were tugged through the gaps between the bars. Then he was free to move around the… admittedly, far too small cage. _Idiots, _he laughed to himself, struggling to turn his head to watch the mystery silver dragon.

Once again, he was shocked to see that it was… well, rather meekly allowing the Hunters to guide it into the cage next to his… the only one that wasn't occupied and was still functional. That was a rather pleasant surprise. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for his new… friend? Not sure, his cage buddy. They had the bigger cage, while he was stuck with that too small one. _Dickheads._

That was when he received his, hopefully, final shock of the night. There was a saddle on the dragon.

**(-)**

She had failed.

Her rider was captured, she was captured, and no one knew where they were.

She had failed.

It had started with a simple flight, her rider and her simply flying and enjoy each others company. The skies were a little cloudy, but that was not anything too terribly surprising. It was rare that they had a perfectly clear day. But the winds were calm, and they were happy.

Then she had spotted these kin-hunters. Or rather, her rider had spotted them and directed her attention towards them. Her blood had immediately begun to boil, and an unconscious growl had rumbled deep in her sleek throat. Her life-friend, her rider, however, had simply placed a soothing hand against her metallic scales and calmed her. They would free those kin, she had no doubt.

Her rider observed them from afar, using the weird-eye that Hiccup-friend had created to watch the humans. She had made a plan. They would watch the humans roam that night, learn their routes. Then they would act.

But she had made a mistake. She did not kill or put to sleep the two kin-hunters she had landed on, and they had alerted the rest. They could not leave though, and she and her rider knew that. So her darling rider had leapt off her and began to fight the kin-hunters with her scale-weapon. She had joined, but then more and more came. Her rider was captured… she would not risk her rider's life.

She had failed.

_At least, _she thought as she walked into the cage. _The other kin escaped._ She did not know how that had happened either. But they were definitely gone. They had succeeded in that part of the mission.

Crooning mournfully, she closed her eyes and lowered her head to the ground, bringing her long tail to curl around her, fluttering her wings as she tried to accept that she was captured. Again.

Before she could dwell too much, she started to hear grunting and shuffling in the cage next to her. Immediately she snapped her head up to look, dreading to see any kin in the cage. Her fears were met when she spotted the dark kin.

Then she gasped, twisting her long neck around to stare at the figure. "Sivast-friend?" she crooned, dreading the response she knew was coming, but also feeling hopeful. If he was captured, odds were _someone _knew where he was. _He would be rescued… and so would they._

Then the night-scale opened their eyes, to look at her, silver-moon orbs landing on her green-grass ones. She gasped again, rearing her head back as her wings sunk to the ground around her. "You are not Sivast-friend," she told the night-scale.

He _rolled his eyes _at her. Then he shook his head and went back to what he was doing previously, which was… rubbing his ear on the ground? "Who are you, stranger-night-scale-kin?" she asked, fluttering her wings again and raising her head slightly. "Why are you here?"

The stranger huffed in annoyance, looking at her with a bored expression. At first she was offended. She was only trying to be polite and make conversation. Then she realized that he was muzzled… and therefore, could not speak. "Oh," she said intelligently. "My apologies."

He waved a paw at her dismissively, whether that meant he had accepted her apologies or was just telling her she was unimportant, she did not know. Then he went back to what she now realized was his attempts at removing the muzzle. After another moment or two, in which she almost told him it was impossible to escape those, she heard a faint _click _and the muzzle slid off him.

The stranger stretched his jaw open, shaking his head side to side as he opened and closed his mouth to ease the strain. Then he shook his head once more and stared at her with… amusement in his eyes. _Amusement?!_

"You pretty-kin," he complimented her, shuffling his body as he apparently tried to get comfortable in his smaller cage. "Not seen your kind before. Looks like good hygiene too, that good. Makes you fly faster, is fact."

Now she was _horribly _confused. They were captured and he was complimenting her appearance and her _hygiene_?! "Thank you," she chuffed, unsure as to what else to say. "I am a shine-scale. And you are a night-scale? I have only ever seen one of your kind."

"Sivast-friend," he agreed, nodding his head with eyes closed. She was not sure if he actually knew Sivast-friend, or if he was just repeating what she had called him. Then he opened his eyes to stare at her, still seeming to be amused. "What your name?"

She snapped her teeth together, unaware that she had opened her maw. "Vinaskri," she replied, tilting her head. "What is your name? Why do you speak like a simple-kin?"

"Good to meet, Vinaskri-pretty-kin," he warbled. "Speak like simple-kin because am simple-kin. Name Leitand."

_Pretty-kin,_ she thought, blinking again. _That is… different. _"Why are you here, Leitand-simple-kin?" she asked, unable to resist the title due to her rising annoyance. If she was expecting him to appear offended or hurt, she was sorely mistaken. The title seemed to make him even more amused.

"Free kin," he chuffed, a slight purr rising from his puffed out chest. He looked very pleased with himself. "They free, I did good. Well, almost all free. One more save, then I did good."

Vinaskri coughed out a laugh, unable to help it. He was just too different and _strange_, seemingly not understanding the situation he was in. It was oddly adorable. Then she sighed, crooning sadly as she looked towards where her rider was, the young human being held by two large kin-hunters, one with a sword to her throat, while a third spoke to her.

Leitand followed her gaze, tilting his head and pricking his frills as a curious croon escaped him. "She your rider?" he warbled, glancing back at her.

She blinked in surprise, before nodding her head sadly. "Yes," she whispered. "Heather-life-friend. She is a good human, and a great friend."

He hummed in response, sounding like he was thinking of something. "Vinaskri-pretty-kin," he said suddenly, his voice sounding a bit more serious. She looked at him, noting that he was still facing away from her. He raised a paw and pointed towards something sticking out of the cage entrance. "Tail strong?"

"Yes," she crooned, pride coloring her voice. "Very strong. Why?"

"Good," he chuffed. "Use tail, pull metal-thing up. Two metal-things, one up, one down. Quiet, easy. Not want alert kin-hunters. Tell me when done."

Confused as to what he was talking about, she studied her cage entrance to find what he had pointed out. Then she saw a small… metal-thing in the piece jutting out. Realizing that that must be what he had meant, she brought her tail out in front of her and, quietly, slid the sharp blade into the crack. To her surprise, it popped up relatively easily. She quickly flicked that one out before repeating the same thing with the lower one.

"Done," she informed him, glancing at him with a new light.

"Good," he replied, nodding his head. He was definitely larger than Sivast-friend. "You able to leave now. Not yet! Telling plan."

Upon his first words, she had immediately reared back to bash open the cage. However, she paused at his last words. He clearly had a plan to get them all out. "I am listening, Leitand-simple-kin," she huffed.

"I will fire at kin-hunter with metal-thing," he warbled. "Then at others. You leave cage, get rider, fly away. Not try save me, need move fast. I keep them occupied while you escape."

"What about you?" she asked with concern, surprised at what he was suggesting.

He waved a paw dismissively. "No worry, Vinaskri-pretty-kin," he purred. "Need move fast, no time save me. Am curious anyway. Will escape later. Ready?"

She wanted to argue, wanted to make another plan that involved him escaping as well. Just as she opened her mouth however, his maw filled with a bright purple-lightning fire. Then he fired, followed by more without delay. The first bolt she saw impact with the kin-hunter with the sword to her rider's neck… making it disappear in a shower of gore. She hadn't been expecting that, having never seen a night-scale fire at a human with intent to kill.

Unable to waste the opportunity, and realizing that that had been his plan all along, she slammed her head against the cage entrance, almost pausing in her surprise as it burst open. Then she darted towards her darling Heather, who had used the opportunity to pick up her own weapon and fight her way towards her. She was apparently surprised to see Vinaskri already free and moving towards her.

All around her, the evil kin-hunters were shouting in fear and terror as more purple-lightning bolts exploded in their midst, showering all with pieces of earth, blood and gore. The captured night-scales ruthlessness surprised her, though at the moment, she was more than happy for it.

Her rider mounted her saddle, and she started to turn back towards Leitand, despite what he had said, when she saw that there were far too many humans between her and him… and freeing him would take far too much time. With a mournful roar, she bathed her surroundings in a stream of her fire and took off.

She was unable to resist looking back at him, wondering if this would be the last time she would ever see the unusual night-scale. To her surprise, after he had taken out archer kin-hunters, he looked up at her, his silver-moon eyes locking onto hers, and brought his forepaw up to his head. He held it for a moment, and then lowered it to the ground again… still seeming to be amused. She glanced at her rider, curious to see that she was also making the same gesture. A loud roar left the captured night-scale, one that sent a shiver down even her spine, and a quick glance saw him being peppered with a multitude of arrows… ones she knew would be coated in the drug to knock them out. Then he collapsed.

"Farewell, Leitand-simple-kin," she crooned sadly, before turning away and putting as much power behind her wing thrusts as Heather-life-friend steered her towards where she knew Hiccup-friend had been.

**(-)**

The dragon hunters were _not _amused in the slightest over his part in the rider's escape. After Vinaskri and Heather had flown away, he'd felt a multitude of arrows pierce his scales… and then knew no more. When he'd next come to, it was to find that he was now chained in place in the cage with a new muzzle attached over his maw… and a bunch of angry human faces snarling at him.

So they beat him, using whips, wooden clubs, spears, fists and feet. They couldn't risk killing him, that much he knew, so he knew that they would only try to make his life as miserable and painfilled as possible. That was fine, he was no stranger to pain. Even so, he definitely didn't enjoy it.

They didn't touch his wings or tail fins, they knew they would be killed for that, but they held no such reservations for the rest of his body. They cut his paws, so that just standing on them proved to be an agony. They scarred up his face, even more so than it was before, though they were careful to not damage his eyes. They pierced his shoulders with their spears, lashed his sides with their whips and beat his limbs, torso and tail with their clubs. They did this, night and day, for over a week.

Sometime during what he thought, in his pain induced haze, was day four, they managed to break a few of his bones, or at least it felt like it. His bones were strong, this he knew, but they weren't indestructible. After being hammered on for so long, he'd finally heard a sickening crack erupt from his chest and right foreleg. The pain that brought was on a whole other level… and those didn't fade. Every breath proved torturous after that, every subtle movement sending pain rocketing throughout his entire body.

It was hell for him… but he endured. He had a job to do, after all. It would be awfully stupid to let a little pain stop him.

The beatings only stopped when a man showed up on another ship, this ship looking to be much bigger and… made of metal. The man seemed to be in charge, as he'd taken one look at Leitand, saw his condition, and immediately turned on the men, shouting and screaming at them. He only stopped after some of the men that had arrived with him took out their swords and killed six of the men who'd been responsible for his torture.

Leitand observed all of this from a seemingly immense distance, despite it taking place right outside of his cage.

His cage was then loaded onto the big ship. Once settled, he felt a sharp pain in his neck and fell into the soothing embrace of forced unconsciousness. When he came to next, he was inside a cell in the boat, one that he recognized from his previous times aboard the hunter ships. Dragon prisons, of a sort, and he was chained to the wall much like Haena had been. His foreleg was in a sturdy splint and there were numerous bandages covering his entire body, from his face to his tail.

He wasn't muzzled anymore though, something that brought him more than a little relief. There was also a large bucket of freshish fish and a trough of water, all of which he partook in readily. He hadn't eaten the entire week in captivity previously, the only water he'd received being what he could get into the cracks of his lips whenever it rained.

Then he slept, the gentle motion of the ship strangely soothing after his previous week. He would occasionally hear a voice shout something in Norse, sounding faintly through the ceiling as orders were shouted by the sailors above. It all blended into a cacophony of white noise that only served to help him sleep faster.

He wasn't sure how long he spent under the deck of the ship, as he couldn't see any light beyond the torches and lanterns around the area. It could have been days, it could have been weeks. To be quite honest, he didn't particularly care either. He wasn't hit, he was fed, and he was more or less just left alone. He could put up with the smell, and while his cell was by no means large, it certainly wasn't as suffocating as the cage had been.

Eventually, it appeared that they'd reached their destination. A few of the hunters came into his cell, where they then put a muzzle on him once again, while the others placed a strange device over his tail-fins… that locked his tail-fins in place.

Then they led him out of the hold, ahead of the other dragons, and into the daylight. A bit of tension left his body at the sight, having not realized that he'd missed it so much. Then he took in more of their surroundings… and found that they were in a place he didn't recognize. There were stone buildings everywhere, so he knew that it was a permanent base, but these definitely weren't civilian buildings. It looked to be solely for the Dragon Hunters. There were numerous dragons around, most in cages, others chained to posts in the ground and still others freely flying around.

He didn't know what to make of it. Those dragons were _free_, and they were still sticking around. Either they enjoyed what they were doing, or they were so broken that it didn't occur to them that they could flee whenever they felt like it. Either way, he found it disheartening to see. It meant that whatever these people were doing, horrible as it may be, was working.

They brought him to another cage, where they removed his muzzle after chaining him to the sides of the cage. Then he was left to himself, far away from the other dragons and surrounded on all sides by Dragon Hunters.

They may not have been these supposed singetails, or at least he didn't think so, but these were definitely dragons under their control. Or, at the very least, dragons that would soon be under their control. Except, of course, for him.

Leitand did his job, observing the dragons and identifying what kinds there were. There were bright-scales, flame-scales, no stone-scales but there _were _a few he didn't recognize. One of the species he recognized as the only dragon on his 'dragons to avoid list,' the ones that could turn invisible it seemed. There were only a few of them though, and he wondered if he should update his list. He'd heard about a species of dragon that lured in other dragons with sound, before it captured and ate them. He decided to officially add it to the list as well.

He waited, he observed, and he healed. His ribs were the biggest problem for him, as they would make flying difficult with the pain, but he figured he might need his foreleg as well. So he waited for both to heal. He was in that cage, and that place, for two weeks before he felt that he might be ready to escape.

Then, on the sixteenth day of his captivity in that base, he received a couple of visitors.

**(-)**

His day was spent as most of his days had been during his captivity: sleeping. Leitand knew that he would heal faster the more rest he got, and, for whatever reason, he was still left alone besides the few ogglers he received. As such, he had a lot of time to sleep.

Which was when he heard a pair of familiar voices.

"My superiors will be most pleased to have another Night Fury," Refined said, making Leitand perk his ears and crack open an eye.

"I'm sure they will," Viggo replied, in a similarly refined voice. "I'm also quite sure that they'll be more than willing to pay my price for it."

Refined chuckled quietly, the voices getting louder. "You will get your gold, Viggo," he assured him. "Provided, of course, that it is _indeed _another Night Fury."

"Trust me," Viggo said, a disdainful snort escaping him. "I know very well what a Night Fury looks like. This isn't that brat Hiccup's pet either. It's larger, more scarred and has a different eye color."

"Is it male?" Refined asked, as the pair finally stepped into view. Leitand quickly narrowed his eye to almost closed, able to see under the crack of his eye lid while he lowered his ear to appear to be sleeping.

"Yes," Viggo replied, the duo stopping outside of his cage. "And a dangerous one by all accounts. I lost more than a few men while capturing it."

"Ah, but that's why we have so many," Refined dismissed. "Besides, I wouldn't be as interested in a Night Fury that was captured easily. What happened to it?"

"It aided in the escape of a captured rider and her dragon," Viggo explained, stepping forward and placing a hand possessively on the cage. "After we had captured it. Killed twenty or so men before they were able to knock it out. My men were… unhappy, about so many of their comrades being killed by a captured beast. They decided to take their anger out on it."

"I trust you… corrected, this mindset?" Refined questioned, a dangerous tone in his voice. "Damaged goods aren't worth nearly as much you know."

"It's been dealt with," Viggo assured. "I've had numerous healers take care of it once I was able to secure it myself. It will heal as if it was never hurt at all."

"Even so," Refined continued, a slightly eager tone in his voice now. "You must know that I can't give you the full amount you requested."

"I disagree," came the immediate response. "You see, this dragon is not only a Night Fury, but apparently a highly intelligent Night Fury. It figured out how to get through our cage design, from the outside at least, even while it was locked and latched. Freed over a dozen dragons we had captured, by itself. It might be a little bruised, but its intelligence makes it worth double what was offered for a Night Fury."

"And how was that?" came the questioning response.

"The hinges," Viggo explained. "I'm working on fixing the flaw even as we speak. This dragon pulled the pins out of the hinges, apparently telling a Razorwhip how to do it as well. The rider's dragon, that is."

"Interesting," Refined mused. "In that case, I will still pay the original agreed upon amount for a Night Fury."

"Oh please, Krogan," Viggo chastised. "Surely you've been listening. I said double, did I not?"

"Intelligent or not," the apparently named Krogan retorted. "This Night Fury is damaged. You're lucky I'm still willing to pay that."

"Unfortunately," he replied. "I cannot accept that. You see, I lost equipment, men and most importantly, other dragons in the capturing of this one. I will settle for no less than sixty percent over. You would be wise to accept that, I have a feeling that your superiors wouldn't be forgiving when they found out that a little extra money prevented you from acquiring a male Night Fury."

They were silent for a moment, and Leitand decided to take the opportunity to feign waking up. He rolled onto his stomach and stretched his legs out, arching his back and flaring his wings to work out any remaining stiffness in the limbs. Then he mosied over to the water trough, where he drank his fill.

"A magnificent specimen," Viggo said. "Is it not? It's been in more than a few skirmishes if its scars are anything to go by. Imagine that, an already war trained Night Fury, larger than is typical of its breed and not afraid to kill human or dragon."

"I get it," Krogan snarled, Leitand shaking his head to look at the pair. It was his first time seeing the two, despite hearing them before.

Viggo had a smug look on his face, pale skin revealing his Nordic heritage. He was clearly from the area, though with his hands clasped behind his back, he carried himself like he might have been royalty.

Krogan, or Refined, on the other paw… he looked a mixture of warrior and scholar. He also carried himself like he was born of higher standing, though his darker skin revealed that _he _wasn't from the area. He was most likely from a warmer climate, though the slightly chilly air didn't appear to bother him.

"Fine then," Krogan said. "Sixty percent over."

"So glad that you saw things my way," Viggo commented, as the two sealed the deal with a handshake. "I trust you have payment with you now?"

"I'll have one of my men fetch it," he replied, dropping the handshake and turning to look at Leitand once again. Leitand returned his gaze, tilting his head curiously with his frills perked. "Is this the same dragon that attacked us two months ago? When you last let Hiccup escape your clutches."

"I'm not sure," Viggo confessed, bringing a hand out from behind his back to rub his beard. "We never got a description of it. The men only said it was another Night Fury. Considering how rare they are, it very well could be. However, that one was with Hiccup and his riders. This one was found on its own."

"Freeing dragons," Krogan argued, gesturing with a hand towards some of the men behind him. Two men quickly turned and ran off, presumably to get the money for him. "That would indicate that he has experience doing so before."

"Perhaps," Viggo agreed, nodding his head and putting his hand back behind his back. "However, it was in captivity for a week before I secured it. If it was the same one that was with Hiccup, don't you think that the brat would have rescued him before I arrived?"

"You might have a point there," he conceded. "So that means that there are still two more Night Furies in the area. Not very extinct, now are they?"

"The world is a big place," came the grandiose reply. "I highly doubt that these are the only four Furies in existence. There are more, we just need to find them."

"Not a priority however," Krogan said, turning to face Viggo. "We have two Night Furies, Berk has two Night Furies. We have more men and more dragons, and more men riding dragons. We also have our own… king. Is your project almost ready?"

"It is," Viggo replied, glancing at Krogan before returning to meet the gaze of the seemingly curious Night Fury. "We are moving ahead of schedule, and will be able to make our move soon."

"Hold off for now," Krogan informed him. "My superiors will want to break this dragon before we launch our attack. I will let you know when it is time."

"And our… other, allies?"

"They will be ready as well," he said. "This time next year, we will be in our new world. We just need a little more patience."

"Agreed," Viggo said, waving a hand dismissively. "So long as I am paid, we will be ready. I have launched my latest plan to reacquire the Dragon Eye, that should keep Hiccup busy in the meantime."

"You don't expect it to work?"

"Oh, I have no doubt that it will," Viggo disagreed. "However, regardless of if it does or not, Hiccup will be occupied."

Just then, the two men sent off to get the payment returned, each carrying a small chest. "Ah," Krogan said, turning to face them. "Here we are. It's all there, though you are more than welcome to count it of course. Might I take my dragon then?"

Viggo gestured for two of his own men to take the chests, which were given up willingly. After they opened them to ensure they contained gold and not stones, Viggo nodded, turning to walk away as he waved his hand. "Be my guest," he replied, his men following him with the chests.

Krogan immediately started to bark out orders towards some of the men standing around, Leitand's guards for his stay in the village. They set to work securing his cage for transport, while Leitand pretended to lay back down and sleep some more, giving himself time to think.

_There's a lot more going on than we thought, _he mused, covering his face with his tail-fins as his cage was lifted off the ground and loaded into a cart. _I count at least five factions at work here against Berk… I hope Stoick and Hiccup's allies will be enough to counter them. Whatever the case may be, I can't leave now. They claim to have another Night Fury… and I can't let them keep it. I wish I knew more about this project though. It sounds like Krogan and Viggo both are eager for it… which means it's not anything good for us._

**(-)**

He was _really _starting to hate boats. This one was even more cramped than the previous one… and he was aware enough to keep track of the days so he _knew _that it was a longer voyage. This particular one lasted for over a week, with a number of stops here and there. Apparently this Krogan was a busy man.

Then they'd arrived at another island, though he wouldn't stay there long. However, he was there long enough to see what exactly was going on… namely that they were using the dragon-eating-singing-dragon to routinely capture a new type of dragon that he hadn't seen before, one that could apparently shoot fire from its mouth and tail. He assumed that these were the singetails.

There were hundreds of them. And, on top of them, there were hundreds of riders… riders that were _not _like the riders of Berk. They used chains and beating sticks to control their dragons, and while the whole thing frustrated him and made his blood boil… it was effective. They were performing far better than he'd seen the other riders perform, barring maybe Hiccup and Sivast, or Sonvari and Astrid. It was more than a little concerning.

What's more, they used _other _dragons to practice on… and they didn't seem to care if they killed them or not in the process. He was there for a little over a day, and during that time he watched the singetails and their riders slaughter more than twenty bright-scales and stone-scales. It got to the point where, after seeing _another _dragon killed by them, he almost started firing back at them. However, he knew that if he did, his chances of escaping would diminish into the single digits, strong and intelligent or not.

Instead, he forced himself to watch the tragedy take place again and again, storing the rage that built up inside of him for a later time. He would remember this, and he would make sure that _every _single rider and dragon responsible got their due by the time he was through with them.

Then he was loaded onto yet _another _ship… and he swore that, after this little spy mission he was on, he would _never _set foot in another ship unless absolutely necessary. It made him want to fly all the more… something that he was just now realizing he hadn't done in over a month. Sure, he sort of expected it but… it was one thing to _think _about being captured for two months and quite another to experience it.

During this latest voyage, Leitand found that his injuries were almost completely healed, if not completely. It no longer pained him to breathe, and his leg no longer felt pain from standing on it for more than a few minutes at a time. As such, he took off his bandages and the splint, working on exercising his leg in particular to try and rebuild his weakened muscles. He was glad that it wasn't on there for longer, though a month of not moving it certainly made it a lot weaker. Pacing around in his cell, he was quick to learn that his leg couldn't go for as long as the rest of his limbs could, making him limp every now and again to rest it. He hoped that wouldn't last.

By the time the voyage was over, he was relieved to note that his constant pacing in his cell had built up most of the muscle again, though his gait was still slightly uneven. Nothing anyone would notice, unless they were looking for it. The trip lasted another week and a half, with more stops here and there.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they came to a last stop, where Leitand was once more muzzled and brought out of his cell up onto the deck. Once there, he saw something that had him completely stupefied.

Thousands of dragons, flying all around him. Some were wearing armor, others weren't. Some had people riding them, though most did not. It left him with a massive sense of foreboding. There was no _way _that Berk could fight this on her own, let alone with Viggo and whatever other allies they had working together. He would certainly give his absolute all, but that wasn't going to be nearly enough. Not by himself.

Over all the sounds of the dragons flying and men shouting, he heard a loud, guttural cry that sounded almost like a gorilla. Then there was a slam of something against metal as the screaming continued, sounding almost rhythmic and with a sense of purpose.

Then, over the cacophony of what appeared to be a floating city made up of hundreds of ships, he heard a loud, piercing whistle.

* * *

**Exciting, no?**

**I think a lot of my writing quality came back in this chapter, so that was a very pleasant thing for me to realize. Not **_**quite **_**where I want to be, but uh… considering I have to bust out chapters, do a proofread, reread for content, and then post, combined with the fact that I increased the base chapter word count from 7k to 10k… completely betaless… yeah, I like to think I'm improving at it.**

**Thank you al for you feedback on the last couple of chapters by the way. I didn't even consider that maybe I was being repetitive, so that's a big oopsie for me. No worries, lesson learnt and I will **_**not **_**be doing that again.**

**One thing to make mention of, in regards to where this story fits in canonically. The answer is, it doesn't. Assume that the first movie happened, and the first season or two of RTTE happened, but beyond that… well, it is a **_**fanfiction**_**. I'm obviously taking heavily from the RTTE series, flawed and beautiful it may be, but it's also clearly not just a retelling. **

**I did notice that this chapter was strictly dragon POV, and found that I enjoyed writing it a lot more than writing those pesky humans. So that's something. No worries, I still seek to improve, so I will be writing from human perspectives as well, particularly Hiccup. Was supposed to be a Hiccup section in here but… well, the chapter kind of sort of ran away from me. Whoops.**

**Here's a question though. Was that a cliffhanger? I have a sneaking suspicion that that **_**might **_**have been a cliffhanger. What do I know though, I'm just a grunt.**

**Enough rambling, I hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know your thoughts or any improvements I could make. Going to be reaching 100k here soon, as well, so that's a bit of hype!**

**Final thing, I promise. Do you guys prefer my dragon POVs, Human POVs or Leitand (mix) POVs more? Vinaskri is a mix of Leitand and Dragon btw.**

**See you next chapter (in a week!)**

**-Aelan**


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